T t2014 10 31 by Jurco Smotrych

OF LONDON

friday october 31 2014 | thetimes.co.uk | no 71342

Film&Music Film

Wipeout for Labour looms in Scotland

Newsand reviewsofthee latestreleases es Pages47-51 LYNNE CAMERON / PA

Sean O’Neill Crime Editor

Collapse of support threatens poll victory hopes

Sam Coates Deputy Political Editor Lindsay McIntosh Scottish Political Editor

Labour faces near wipeout in Scotland next May in a setback that could cost Ed Miliband the general election, according to a new poll for The Times. Mr Miliband’s personal ratings have also plunged since the referendum seven weeks ago, the YouGov poll of Scottish voters has found. Only 15 per cent trust him, down from 25 per cent on the eve of the independence vote. The poll puts support for the Scottish National party at 43 per cent in the general election, up from 20 per cent in 2010 and giving it a 16-point lead over Labour. Support for Labour fell to 27 per cent, down from 42 per cent at the last general election. It means that Mr Miliband’s party is now performing significantly worse in a heartland than it is nationally, where it still commands 34 per cent of the vote. The poll suggests that Labour is on course to lose 30 of its 40 MPs in Scotland. Labour support has drained away since the referendum on September 18. In June, YouGov found 39 per cent supporting Labour at a general election with the SNP trailing on 31 per cent. The new figures echo a separate poll by Ipsos Mori for STV yesterday. It found that 52 per cent of Scots would vote for the SNP if there were a Westminster election tomorrow, suggesting that they would secure 54 MPs, while Labour is on 23 per cent, which would leave it with four MPs. Senior Scottish figures are expressing growing panic about the party’s fortunes north of the border, while insiders branded the poll results a “game-chang-

er” for the party nationally. A Scottish member of Mr Miliband’s frontbench team said that Labour was in a dire predicament. Thomas Docherty, shadow deputy leader of the House, told Radio 4’s World at One yesterday: “We are in a dreadful position. And we’ve got to be honest about ourselves. We have very low esteem with the electorate. The electorate looks at us and has no idea what our policies are.” He added: “We have a moribund party in Scotland that seems to think that infighting is more important than campaigning. And we have a membership that is ageing and inactive. “We can return to be the grown-up party that wants to be in government or we can self-indulge like a throwback to the 1980s and watch our party implode, the SNP win again, the Tories win again, and have another referendum.” One senior Labour figure said that the change of fortunes in Scotland could have significant repercussions internally. “This could prove to be a game-changer. If there are 30 Scottish MPs who think they are going to lose because of [Mr Miliband], they are going to be thinking very hard.” The Labour leader flew to Scotland yesterday for an annual fundraising dinner designed to showcase the party in front of donors and business figures. In London, Labour prepared to make an announcement on regional bus reforms, giving town halls powers to set bus routes and regulate fares as Transport for London does in the capital. Mr Miliband’s woes may deepen further this afternoon when the results Continued on page 2, col 3 Record low for police poll, page 8

Anglican leader quits over church abuse report

Riding high Pluto Malina, one of the Lipizzaners of the Spanish Riding School of Vienna, in rehearsal before the start of a six-date British tour in Sheffield tonight

A former Archbishop of York has ended his 50-year ministry in the Church of England after being fiercely criticised by an official report into a clerical child abuse scandal. Lord Hope of Thornes, archbishop from 1995 to 2005, resigned yesterday as an honorary bishop after the inquiry into the church’s failure to act against the Rev Robert Waddington, a prolific abuser, said that Lord Hope had been responsible for repeated errors and inaction that had put children at risk. Waddington, a former dean of Manchester Cathedral, was exposed by The Times last year as a serial abuser who preyed on choirboys and schoolchildren for more than half a century in England and Australia. Lord Hope, 74, was told of allegations against Waddington in 1999, 2003 and 2004 but never reported them to police or social services. Instead, an inquiry by Judge Sally Cahill, QC, found last week that Lord Hope’s paramount concern had been for Waddington’s welfare, and his “cumulative” failures meant that chances to prosecute the priest before his death in 2007 were missed. The inquiry report identified 18 breaches of church policy by Lord Hope, including failing to make records of his conversations with Waddington, not seeking help from his child protection adviser and failing to establish if there was a continuing risk to children. The former archbishop said that after “much prayerful and considered thought” he had written to the Bishop of Leeds resigning from his role as honorary assistant bishop of Bradford with immediate effect. “This ends my nearly 50 years of formal ministry in the Church of England, which I have always sought to serve with dedication,” Lord Hope said. “I will certainly continue to pray for the important ongoing work with survivors [of abuse].” The Cahill report was commissioned by Lord Hope’s successor as Archbishop of York, the Most Rev John Sentamu, who said last night that he respected but was saddened by Lord Hope’s decision to resign from his ministry. Dr Sentamu added: “He has served the Church of England with joyfulness,

Continued on page 4, col 1

IN THE NEWS Family-friendly laws

Apple chief: I’m gay

The logical choice

Britons back Isis

Clashes in Jerusalem

All new laws or government policies will face a ‘familyfriendly test” to ensure they support, strong and stable relationships, Iain DuncanSmith will say today. Page 2

Tim Cook, the Apple chief executive and one of the most powerful businessmen in the world, gave inspiration and hope to millions by disclosing that he is gay. Page 5

A civil servant toyed with the idea of hiring psychopaths to control communities after a Soviet nuclear attack because of their logical brains, papers from the 1980s reveal. Page 7

One in seven young British adults has “warm feelings” for Islamic State, a poll found. Academics said the jihadists were riding a surge of antipolitical sentiment. Page 12

Israel closed Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site after street clashes and shootings pushed the country towards a new round of violence between Palestinians and Jews. Page 22

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News INSIDE TODAY

Opinion

Britain’s last ‘witch’ now deserves a full pardon Ben Macintyre, page 19

Business

Do good leaders start the day with a chuckle and clean the office loos?

Sathnam Sangera, page 33

Colin Shaw, BBC executive who had to monitor standards in the 1970s

Times2

Cosmologists reveal whether Interstellar passes the science test

Pages 44, 45

Page 40

Opinion 17 Weather 17 Cartoon 19 Leading articles 20 Letters 21 World 22 Business 29 Markets 38, 39 Times2 44 Register 40 Sport 52 Crosswords 43, 64 Please note, some sections of The Times are available only in the United Kingdom and Ireland

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Family-friendly test will apply to every policy, Whitehall told Jill Sherman Whitehall Editor

All new laws or government policies will face a “family-friendly test” to ensure they support strong and stable relationships, Iain Duncan Smith will announce today. The Work and Pensions Secretary has drawn up five tests against which all policies will be assessed to ensure that family is put at the heart of every government decision. The move, believed to be the first of its kind in the world, will be seen as signalling strong support for marriage and two-parent families. In future, civil servants and ministers in all departments will have to identify and take action to address any policies that could undermine the family. “Families are the foundation of society — and we know that strong and stable families can have a huge impact on improving the life chances of our children,” Mr Duncan Smith says. “So in order to build a stronger society we must ensure we support them and the relationships on which they are built. Today we are bringing the issue centre stage, with a new test that will ensure every policy government introduces is assessed for its impact on the family.” The five tests,

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The five key questions 6 What kind of impact might the policy have on family formation? 6 What kind of impact will the policy have on families going through key transitions such as becoming parents or bereavement? 6 What impacts will the policy have on all family members’ ability to play a full role in family life? 6 How does the policy impact families before, during and after couple separation? 6 How does the policy impact those families most at risk of relationship breakdown?

which have been drawn up with groups such as Relate and the Centre for Social Justice, include assessing the impact a policy would have on families going through transitions — such as becoming parents, getting married, fostering or adopting, bereavement, redundancy or the onset of a long-term health condition. All departments will have to docu-

ment how they meet the tests and look at policies through a new “prism” that will recognise the roles of mothers, fathers and grandparents, a spokesman for the Department of Work and Pensions said. Ruth Sutherland, chief executive of Relate, welcomed the new tests. “This is an important step towards putting families and relationships at the heart of public policy, something we have been campaigning passionately for,” she said. “We are proud to have supported the development of the test and look forward to seeing it in action.” In a speech in August, David Cameron admitted that splitting up was the right course of action for some couples and said that many single parents did an “amazing job” but repeated his support for marriage. 6 The Department for Work and Pensions has dismissed reports that the government is considering cutting the levels of employment support allowance (ESA), which goes to those who are too sick to work or need extra support before they can go into the workplace. A spokesman said that an internal proposal that ESA could drop to only 50p above jobseeker’s allowance was not government policy and would not be in future.

PM: I would keep rates low forever Lucy Fisher Political Correspondent

of LONDON

Friday October 31 2014 | the times

David Cameron would like interest rates to remain low forever but refuses to jeopardise the independence of the Bank of England by ordering it, he revealed yesterday. The prime minister said current low interest rates were “good news” and were enabling people to “buy a home that they can afford”. During a visit to an O2 call centre in Cheshire he added: “The Bank of

Scots blow to Labour hopes Continued from page 1

of a police and crime commissioner by-election in Doncaster are announced, with Ukip challenging Labour in his backyard. According to the YouGov poll, Jim Murphy, the frontrunner in the race to lead Scottish Labour, is unlikely to make a substantial difference to the party’s fortunes. He is trusted by 24 per cent of voters, marginally more than the former leader Johann Lamont but significantly less than Gordon Brown, whose ratings have risen since the referendum to 37 per cent. Nicola Sturgeon, the incoming SNP leader, enjoys the trust of 48 per cent of voters in Scotland. Last night, Scottish Labour’s deputy leader, Anas Sarwar, made the surprise announcement that he would be standing down. There had been concerns that if he stayed and Mr Murphy won the leadership battle, two MPs would be running the party in Scotland. Conservative support in Scotland at the next Westminster election is 15 per cent, down from 17 per cent in 2010, according to yesterday’s poll, while the Liberal Democrats are on 4 per cent, down from 19 per cent. YouGov interviewed 1,078 Scottish adults between October 27 and yesterday.

England is totally independent — I can’t tell them what to do. That’s annoying, obviously, because it would be lovely to say ‘Can we have low interest rates forever?’ He said it “would be disastrous if I could set them, because politicians interfering in interest rates is not a good thing”. Mr Cameron added: “We want to make sure the Bank of England sets interest completely to keep the economy on an even keel.” In the wide-ranging “PM direct” ses-

sion, in which Mr Cameron answered questions from members of the public, he also suggested that the government could review the amount of testing children are subjected to in school. “I think sometimes we are assessing and reassessing more than we need to,” he added. “And if I’m aware that’s the case, then we can take those burdens off.” He stressed that much of the testing children undergo is necessary because exam results are one of the few ways parents can keep tabs on the schools.

This is more than just a setback Analysis Peter Kellner

abour faces a double whammy in Scotland: it has lost support generally and it can no longer count on being saved by “red Nats” — people who back the SNP in Holyrood elections but stay loyal to Labour when choosing an MP to send to Westminster. In the 2010 general election, twice as many people voted Labour as SNP. A year later, in the elections to Holyrood, the SNP comfortably defeated Labour. YouGov repeatedly found that many voters wanted the SNP to govern Scotland but Labour to govern Britain. There were signs this year that this was changing. In June, Labour enjoyed an eight-point lead over

the SNP in general election voting, but only a two-point lead in elections for Holyrood. Now the difference has almost completely disappeared. The SNP leads Labour by 16 points in general election voting, and by 18 points in Holyrood voting. Labour faces a near wipeout next May unless it can revive its fortunes. If we apply the Scotland-wide shifts to each constituency, the SNP would jump from six seats to 47 while Labour would slump from 41 to just ten. The Liberal Democrats would lose ten of their 11 seats, keeping only Orkney and Shetland. On these figures, Labour would be unlikely to be the largest party in the

next parliament. Even if the Conservatives come out comfortably ahead, there may not be enough Lib Dem MPs to combine with them to provide a working majority in the new Commons. They would need a deal — even if not a full coalition — with the SNP. Labour must face the hard truth that it is suffering not a brief setback but a more fundamental loss of respect. Just 31 per cent of Scots who voted Labour in 2010 now think the party “represents the views and interests of Scotland today” very or fairly well, while 59 per cent think the party does this job very or fairly badly. Those are truly terrible figures. Peter Kellner is president of YouGov

the times | Friday October 31 2014

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News

How Downton got us hot over the collar PHIL YEOMANS / BNPS

Oliver Moody, Gabriella Swerling

There has never been a better time to pass yourself off as an aristocrat. Not only have TV series such as Downton Abbey made us nostalgic for the drawing room dramas of the gentry, their clothes are coming back into style, too. The starched collar, an artefact which in its fantastically complex and costly manufacture must be some sort of metaphor for the old upper class, is in the middle of a renaissance. A dry cleaning service in Bournemouth that claims to be the last survivor of the thousands of laundries that once stiffened the spines of Britain’s viscounts and marquesses is now producing 80,000 starched collars a year and sending them as far as the US. The Barker Group is secretive about its clientele, but in moments of indiscretion has mentioned contracts with Highgrove House, Prince Charles’s Gloucestershire residence, and Highclere Castle, Hampshire, the setting for Downton Abbey and home of the Earl and Countess of Carnarvon. The launderers’ starchy fingers have supplied the costumes for blockbuster films including Titanic and TV series such as Poirot, Peaky Blinders and a period adaptation of the Sherlock Holmes novels. If you have seen a stiff collar on the neck of an even stiffer patrician, the chances are it has passed through Bournemouth. Matthew Barker, the laundry’s owner, said: “We look after the great and the good. Collars are our biggest st market. The marketplace that has really grown most in the past five years is theatre, television and film. There are a lot more period dramas now, shows like Downton Abbey. “Any period drama you see on television where they are wearing starched collars, generally we have supplied them. It’s bizarre seeing your product everywhere, but great.” Increasingly, the laundry is now handling requests

Matthew Barker, of the Barker Group, reports a boom in starch collars. Left, Richard E Grant in white tie for Downton Abbey

from across the Atlantic. “We get interest from all over the world, and since looking after Downton Abbey we have more and more people from America,” Mr Barker said. It is not just the detachable collar. Other items of clothing that previously seemed to have all but expired outside the novels of PG Wodehouse are coming back into fashion. Oliver Brown, a gentlemen’s outfitters in Chelsea, has seen its sales rise 50 per cent year on year, with a particular vogue for antique silk top hats. Even rumours of cummerbund’s demise seem to have been much exaggerated. Kristian Robson, the store’s owner, said the growth was in large part down to the resurgent popularity of period dramas. “This summer gen-

Alexa Chung captures the mood

tlemen were opting for collarless shirts with starched collars far more than we saw two years ago,” he said. “Recent trends have seen more gentlemen wearing single-breasted dinner jackets as opposed to the double-breasted style, which has led to an obvious increase in sales for cummerbunds. “Oliver Brown is selling more tweed than ever across our range. We have lots of American clients who come into the shop quoting Downton Abbey as an influence for their choices, and whitetie evening tails have become an incredibly popular choice for wedding dress with our European customers.” Robert Johnston, the style director of GQ magazine, said that men were becoming fussier about their evening wear even as they dressed for work with increasing insouciance. “Obviously things like Downton do have an effect because they present menswear in such an interesting way that a generation that’s not used to that formality is attracted to it again,” he said. “The wider reason for it is that with an increasingly casual approach to menswear, very stiff tailoring is also coming back. “What it’s done, which seems quite contradictory, is that it’s made formal wear more popular. People like Burberry are reporting that sales of formal wear were really on the increase. Because people are wearing a suit all day long, when they want to dress up, they really dress up. Men are becoming more like women in that respect.” The starched collar has been only one of the beneficiaries of this finickiness. “That’s part of the increase in the whole world of formal wear, because if people are going to wear dinner jackets and smoking jackets then things like starched collars and winged collars are going to become more attractive,” Mr Johnston said. “With accessories in general, the devil is in the detail. “These things all start in London, because London is the world capital of menswear. What happens in London will be copied everywhere else. It’s also a sign of increasing confidence, people economically feeling more confident.”

It may be irresistible, but scratching an itch just makes it itchier Tom Whipple Science Correspondent

Travellers with mosquito bites have long feared it, men with two days of stubble have long suspected it. Now science has confirmed it. There is, researchers claim, “a vicious itch cycle”. A study in the journal Neuron has found that when we scratch an itch, providing temporary relief, we cause

the itch to come back stronger. “The purpose of a scratch is to create pain, to inhibit the itch,” said Dr Zhou-Feng Chen. “However this inhibition doesn’t work well. So you have to scratch harder and harder.” He believes he has found the mechanism by which this happens: serotonin. Dr Chen is director of Washington University’s Centre for the Study of

Itch. “Itch may seem like a trivial issue,” he said, “but when patients have this condition constantly without adequate relief, it takes over their lives.” When you scratch, you cause a small amount of pain that inhibits the itch. However, this has the unintended consequence of producing serotonin, which is the body’s way of dulling pain. One of the other side-effects of seroto-

nin, Dr Chen said, was that the neurotransmitter exaggerated the effect of nerve cells that also transmit itchiness. His research was in mice but he believes it could be equally applicable to humans. A group of mice were injected with a substance known to make their skin itch. Some mice were normal, and some had been bred not to produce serotonin. The serotonin-free mice were

found to scratch a lot less. When they were then injected with serotonin, however, they scratched as normal. While blocking serotonin is not practical, Dr Chen thinks the research might point to other ways of treating some of his chronically itchy patients — such as by instead blocking the pathway through which serotonin interacts with the nerve cells that transfer itches.

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Friday October 31 2014 | the times

News BETTINA STRENSKE / LNP

Sight and sound Outlier by Wayne McGregor is one of four works in See the music, Hear the dance at Sadler’s Wells tonight and tomorrow, featuring music by Thomas Adès and the Britten Sinfonia

Abuse inquiry chief ‘hid’ links to Brittan Michael Savage, Richard Ford

An inquiry into historical child abuse was plunged deeper into turmoil last night after its chairwoman was accused of playing down her links to Lord Brittan of Spennithorne, a former home secretary connected to the investigation. In a revelation that led to immediate calls for Fiona Woolf, the lord mayor of London, to stand aside, it emerged that a letter outlining her links to the former minister and his wife had undergone seven drafts, including changes to language and facts that appeared to distance her from the couple. Demands for her resignation intensified last week after the letter revealed she had attended five dinner parties with Lord Brittan, who was Conservative home secretary in 1983 and 1984, when ministers were given a dossier revealing details of high-rofile paedophiles. The files have disappeared and he has denied not acting on the dossier. Keith Vaz, the chairman of the home affairs select committee, said the earlier drafts of Mrs Woolf’s letter showed the final version “gave a sense of greater detachment” between her and the Brittans. He said that details about Mrs Woolf’s contact with the couple had

How Fiona Woolf’s letter changed Draft 1 I was introduced to Lady Brittan by a mutual acquaintance in [insert date]. I first met with Lord Brittan in a personal capacity when I was invited by Lady Brittan to a dinner party hosted at their residence in 2008. From recollection there were approximately eight people at this dinner. I returned the compliment and I hosted a dinner party at my residence about six months later. We engaged in another exchange of dinner parties after I was elected sheriff of the City of London in 2011. Draft 5 I have had a house in London on the same street as the Brittan family since 2004. I was first introduced to Lady Brittan through a third party. I subsequently met Lord Brittan in a personal capacity when I invited Lord and Lady Brittan to a dinner party at

been changed over over several drafts. MPs said there were also questions for Theresa May to answer after confirmation that home office officials had

my residence on January 9, 2008. From recollection there were six people present. I hosted two further dinner parties at my residence, where Lord and Lady Brittan were invited and attended along with other guests. Final letter So far as Lord and Lady Brittan are concerned, I have had a house in London on the same street as the Brittans since 2004. I was first introduced to Lady Brittan through a third party. I subsequently met Lord Brittan in a personal capacity when I invited Lord and Lady Brittan to a dinner party at my residence on January 9, 2008. From recollection there were at least four other people present. I hosted two further dinner parties at my residence, where Lord and Lady Brittan were invited and attended along with other guests.

helped draft the letter, which was due to be sent to the home secretary. The first draft of Mrs Woolf’s letter states she first met Lord Brittan “when I was invit-

ed by Lady Brittan to a dinner party hosted at their residence”. However, by the fifth draft, it appeared that the first invitation came from her. “I subsequently met Lord Brittan in a personal capacity when I invited Lord and Lady Brittan to a dinner party at my residence,” it states. In another passage discussing two dinner parties at the Brittans’ home, the fifth draft states: “From my recollection there were no other guests who attended.” The sixth states: “From my recollection there were at least six other guests who attended.” The final version states “at least four other guests” attended. Simon Danczuk, the Labour MP for Rochdale who has campaigned for the abuse inquiry, said that Mrs Woolf “should stand aside immediately”. “The home office has colluded in covering up Fiona Woolf’s close relationship with Leon Brittan,” he said. “The irony of that is that a large part of this inquiry is about investigating alleged cover-ups at the home office. Did [Theresa May] know her civil servants were helping Fiona Woolf write this letter?” Mr Vaz said his committee would decide next week whether to summon Mrs Woolf back to give more evidence.

Lord Hope resigns after criticism in paedophilia report Continued from page 1

commitment, honesty and holiness.” The archbishop called last week for the church to end the protection of the confessional for people who might confess to abusing a child. The church is examining the legal and theological implications, but Dr Sentamu made clear that he felt priests could no longer be asked to withhold

information about anyone who had abused a child. Dr Sentamu said he had reached his conclusion after a series of meetings with men abused by Waddington, who rose to a high position in the church despite suspicions about his behaviour dating from the mid-1950s. He added: “The inquiry into the alleged abuses by Robert Waddington has made its recommendations and

The Times report from May last year when Lord Hope’s role emerged

these now need to be considered and action taken in a thoughtful and measured manner to ensure the church can be a safer place for all. I continue to hold all the survivors in my thoughts and prayers and I am grateful too that some have offered to help the leadership of the Church of England to create a new culture of protecting and safeguarding all God’s children.”

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Surveillance grows Government surveillance using the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act has soared. Home Office figures show 6,056 items of communications data were accessed last year, compared with 2,813 in 2010.

Most read at thetimes.co.uk 1. Cameron: it’s our moral duty to bring down your taxes 2. Lipman ends Labour support 3. Matthew Syed: equal rights 4. A naked man isn’t shocking, locking him up is 5. Blair: Ukip must be defeated 6. A nation of teen mums? 7. Harassment video goes viral 8. Cash to EU doubled to £8bn 9. McConville murder arrest 10. Sex exploitation is ‘new norm’

the times | Friday October 31 2014

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Apple unveils new (role) model: a CEO who is glad to be gay

Tim Cook said if he could help others then the loss of his privacy was worth it

edged it either, until now. So let me be clear: I’m proud to be gay,” Mr Cook, 53, wrote in Bloomberg Businessweek. He added that he had been inspired to act by a quote from Martin Luther King, whose portrait hangs in his office in Cupertino, California. “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’ ” “If hearing that the CEO of Apple is gay can help someone struggling to come to terms with who he or she is, or bring comfort to anyone who feels alone, or inspire people to insist on their equality, then it’s worth the trade-off with my own privacy,” Mr Cook wrote. He added that being gay had both given him the “skin of a rhinoceros” and made him more empathetic. Mr Cook’s decision to come out reflects changing mores. Earlier this month the US Supreme Court granted marriage equality laws in more than a dozen states, bringing the total number of states accepting gay marriage to 32. Even so, people can still legally be sacked for being gay in 29 states. Lord Browne, the former chief executive of BP who resigned after his homosexuality was made public by a male escort in 2007, said that by speaking publicly about his sexuality Mr Cook had become a role model. Any sign of a backlash from America’s powerful homophobic Christian right was muted yesterday. Ted Cruz, a Tea Party Republican known for his opposition to gay marriage, said that Mr Cook’s sexuality was a “personal choice” — and that he still loved his iPhone.

Father ‘who killed family fed up of job’

Boy blinded after years of neglect

Will Humphries, John Simpson

Fariha Karim

A father thought to have killed his family and hanged himself felt his clerical job with a city council was “below his qualifications and ambitions” years before the murders, a friend has said. Jitendra Lad, 49, of Clayton, Bradford, stabbed his wife and two teenage daughters in their sleep and left their bodies where they lay, possibly for days, before killing himself, police believe. As recently as last month, Mr Lad’s YouTube account shows he had watched videos on attention deficit disorder in adults and about becoming a web designer, including Rich Dad, Poor Dad and a Career in Web Design. Keith Turner, 72, a former colleague, took the young Mr Lad him under his wing at Brook Motors and watched him rise and move jobs as he worked hard to better himself and the lives of his family. When they last saw each other in 2009 Mr Lad was already unhappy in his job. “I think he thought it was below his qualifications and aspirations,” Mr Turner said. “Maybe he thought he was underused. Obviously he didn’t leave the council so you wonder whether he felt he was trapped, I don’t know.” He added: “We cannot think of anything that would drive him to this. He seemed a perfectly balanced man. They were a typical family.”

A boy who became half blind after suffering neglect was repeatedly failed by social workers despite scrawling “help me” on the wall outside his bedroom. A serious case review is under way after it emerged that the child, who is now 12, suffered at least six years of neglect by Gillian Hendry, his mother, and Craig Dick, his stepfather, despite chances for social workers to intervene. The couple, who lived in Thornabyon-Tees, near Stockton-on-Tees, were jailed last month after pleading guilty to two charges of child neglect. Hendry, 34, was jailed for two and a half years, and Dick, 34, for two years and two months. Teesside crown court was told the boy went blind in his left eye from cataracts because he was not taken for hospital appointments. The review, by Stockton council, revealed that the alarm was first raised in 2007 when the boy was living in Middlesbrough, but the case was closed twice by social workers at that council. The boy and his sister have since been rehomed. Once they had been removed, a social worker noticed the words “help me”, but Hendry claimed that they had been written on the first day that the social worker had visited. Middlesborough council said it had not been involved since 2010.

Alexandra Frean Washington

With five words Tim Cook, the chief executive of Apple and one of the most powerful businessmen on the planet gave inspiration and hope to millions of people yesterday and changed the face of modern business. “I’m proud to be gay,” he announced. Mr Cook’s revelation in a poignant and sharp essay in an American magazine came as no surprise to those who have followed his career. Even so, his decision to acknowledge his sexuality publicly and describe it as one of “the greatest gifts God has given me” was hailed as a watershed moment by civil rights activists. Although the number of gay celebrities from entertainment and sport is growing, the business world has been slow to adapt to changing social norms and Mr Cook is the only chief executive officer of a Fortune 500 company in the US to come out. Other well-known openly gay business leaders can be counted on one hand. They include Christopher Bailey, the CEO of Burberry; Antonio Simoes, the head of HSBC UK; Robert Greenblatt, the chairman of NBC Entertainment, and Robert Hanson, the former head of American Eagle Outfitters who is now head of the jewellery company John Hardy. “While I have never denied my sexuality, I haven’t publicly acknowl-

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Flying solo Hugo Sarlandie’s image of Loch Etive in Argyll and Bute was among Trail UK magazine’s photographs of the year

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Killers among 1,000 criminals on the run Richard Ford Home Correspondent

Spookily warm Sunbathers in Brighton enjoy the lead-up to what may be the warmest Hallowe’en on record. Forecast, page 17

Osborne wants ‘metro mayor’ for Manchester Laura Pitel, Billy Kenber

George Osborne will announce plans to create a mayor of Greater Manchester, it was reported last night. According to the Financial Times, he will announce a package of new powers for Greater Manchester, to be finalised today and announced next week. Mr Osborne wants to bring the growth rate

of the north of England in line with the national average and boost support for the Conservatives beyond their traditional southern strongholds. The deal is said to give local policy-makers a greater say over science, skills, housing and schools and roads. One of the more controversial aspects of the proposals will be plans for a new “metro mayor”. The coalition gov-

ernment offered 11 major English cities referendums on directly-elected mayors in 2012. Nine, including Manchester, rejected the idea. Ed Miliband will today make his latest pitch on the issue with a promise that bus, train and tram passengers across the country will be able to use local versions of London’s Oyster smartcards if he is elected next May.

Friday October 31 2014 | the times

Eighteen murderers are among more than 1,000 offenders who are on the run despite being recalled to prison over the past 30 years, according to official figures released yesterday. More than 500 of those recalled have been at large for more than five years, including 18 who were recalled between 1984 and 1999. Among the 1,064 fugitive offenders, 134 had served time for violent crimes before being freed and then breaking the terms of their release licence. According to the Ministry of Justice figures, 14 rapists and 20 other sex offenders are also on the run. Murderers are released on a licence that lasts for the rest of their life, while other offenders are on licences until the end of the sentence. The licences include conditions such as having to meet regularly with a probation officer, being barred from going to certain areas or having contact with their victims, and having to inform the authorities of any change in circumstances, including entering into a relationship. Separate figures revealed that more than 150 sex offenders and violent criminals under the supervision of the probation service went on to carry out further serious attacks. Andrew Selous, the prisons minister, said: “In over 99 per cent of cases where an offender has been recalled, the individual has successfully been returned to custody. Once an offender has been

recalled by probation, the National Offender Management Service work in partnership with the police to quickly identify and recall offenders, but ultimately, it is for the police to return them to custody.” However, the Ministry of Justice figures show that the number of offenders on the run topped 1,000 last year and the percentage not returned to custody is at the highest quarterly percentage ever. Between April and June this year 4,216 offenders were recalled to prison but 105, or 2.5 per cent, were still on the run at the end of last month, compared with 0.7 per cent in the same period last year — 30 of the 4,348 recalled. The number of offenders recalled who remain on the run has increased over the past four years from 942 in 2010 to 1,064 this year. In 2010 there were 19 murderers on the run compared with 18 this year, while the number of rapists has risen from ten in 2011 to 14 this year. The figures showed there were 102 robbers, 155 burglars and 190 criminals convicted of fraud and forgery offences still at large at the end of last month. Overall, however, the 1,064 offenders on the run represent 0.6 per cent of the total 177,229 criminals recalled since 1999. Some of those missing may have since died. Harry Fletcher, a former senior official in the probation officers’ union, said: “The number still at large is a tiny percentage of those recalled.”

the times | Friday October 31 2014

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News ROB BLISS

Sex pests of New York are exposed by hidden camera

t begins, pleasantly enough, with a little light banter. “How you doing today?” shouts a New Yorker, sitting on a pavement, as Shoshana Roberts, 24, strolls down a broad boulevard in Harlem. “I guess not good,” he says, when she does not reply. “Smile,” shouts another man a little further on. “Smile!” he shouts again, and the second time it sounds like an order. Steadily, the street chorus of “Hey beautiful!” and “Damn, girl!” builds to a roar, as Ms Roberts continues on her way, silent, ignoring it all. Captured by a hidden camera over ten hours, the edited highlights of this barrage of whistles and come-hither catcalls served as damning evidence of the casual pestering of women making their way through an otherwise safe and civilized city. Entitled “10 Hours of Walking in NYC as a Woman”, it has also prompted a debate about race and gender in America. On the YouTube page where the film has been watched more than 15 million times, laments over Ms Roberts’s treatment were

mixed with racially tinged commentary and accusations that she had deliberately provoked the leering, or that she was mistaking pleasantries for sexual harassment. Hollaback!, the anti-harassment charity that commissioned the video, said she had received death and rape threats. Rob Bliss, 26, the head of a viral marketing agency who shot the footage, said the idea came to him when he saw his girlfriend being pestered on pavements. “I felt like no one had ever captured what street harassment actually looks like up close and personal,” he said. Although he chose New York for the experiment, he believes he could have achieved the same results in any city. “I believe that 1 per cent of guys tend to do it,” he said.

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Psychopathic solution to collapse of civil order Tom Whipple Science Correspondent

After giving the world the concept of mutual assured destruction, or MAD, where can one possibly go next, policywise? Well, how about psychopathpoliced apocalypse? As if coping with nuclear winter and the destruction of civilisation as we know it were not enough, newly declassified Home Office documents have revealed that one civil servant believed that the best way of rebuilding Britain after a Soviet nuclear attack would be to recruit a particular subset of people — who were, she said, “very good in crises”, “tend to be very intelligent and logical” and had “no feelings for others”. Namely, psychopaths. “It is generally accepted that around 1 per cent of the population are psychopaths,” Jane Hogg, a scientific officer at the Home Office, wrote in a 1982 planning document, where she outlined the case for them to be put to work. “These are the people who could be expected to show no psychological effects in the communities which have suffered the severest losses.” Without the tedious impediments of anything like “a moral code”, she said they would be perfect to make difficult

Are you ready to rule after the apocalypse? Please answer the questions below honestly, saying whether you strongly disagree, disagree, agree, strongly agree. 6 I rarely plan: I’m a spur-of-the-moment kind of person 6 Cheating on your partner is OK so long as you don’t get caught 6 If something better comes along it’s OK to cancel a longstanding appointment

6 Seeing an animal injured or in pain doesn’t bother me in the slightest

dangerous job because I can make my mind up pretty quickly

6 Driving fast, riding rollercoasters, and skydiving appeal to me

6 I find it easy to keep myself together in situations when others crack under pressure

6 It doesn’t matter if I have to step on other people to get what I want

6 If you can con someone, then that’s their problem. They deserve it

6 I’m very persuasive. I have a talent for getting other people to do what I want

6 Rules are meant to be broken

6 I’d be good in a

decisions necessary to keep order when most governance had collapsed. The suggestion came as part of an exercise entitled Regenerate, which looked at the national capacity to rebuild after a massive nuclear strike. The civil servants assumed that 300

If you agree strongly to most of the statements you should be worried

megatons of nuclear weapons had hit the country over the course of 16 hours, obliterating the centres of most cities and killing millions. Half of the country remained untouched, however — at least from the initial strike. Putting themselves in the position of

a small group of regional officials in a command bunker responsible for Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and South Yorkshire, they considered how they would respond in the months directly following attack. In their particular scenario, all but one of the county headquarters had been destroyed, and 15,000 refugees from South Yorkshire — where there had been mass panic — had moved to Derbyshire. One of the policies under consideration, Patrick Bateman, of American Psycho, would get the job done

as the civil servants sweated it out in their bunker, was whether or not officially to recognise the leaders of the vigilante groups that it was assumed would emerge following the collapse of the police force. For all the gravity of the situation though, Ms Hogg’s bosses were not certain it quite merited unleashing the nation’s psychopaths — even if they psy could somehow devise the logistics to identify and track them down in the hours immediately following the Third World War. “I am not at all sure you convince me,” wrote one of her superiors in the document released at the National Archives. “I would regard them as dangerous whether or not recruited into a post-attack organisation.”

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Friday October 31 2014 | the times

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Poll for police chief hits record low Lucy Fisher Political Correspondent

Politicians and pundits believe that the turnout to elect the police and crime commissioner for South Yorkshire yesterday could be the lowest turnout ever recorded at a British election. Activists described public interest in the poll as “dismal”. Douglas Carswell, the newly elected Ukip MP who had the idea of electing police chiefs when still a member of the Conservative party, criticised the way the government had implemented the policy. Gawain Towler, a spokesman for Ukip, who was out on the campaign trail yesterday, predicted that the turnout would be lower than for the West Midlands PCC election in August, for which only 10.4 per cent of voters turned out. He said: “I fear this could be the worst

ever turnout in Britain’s electoral history.” The result of the poll, which is due to be announced this afternoon, will reveal whether a Ukip candidate has become the party’s first police and crime commissioner (PCC). The election was caused by the resignation of Labour’s Shaun Wright after his failings in the Rotherham child sex abuse scandal. As Labour and Ukip campaigners struggled to rouse voters yesterday, Mr Carswell, who became Ukip’s first MP in a by-election in Clacton last month, criticised the government for its “cynical implementation” of his policy proposal. About a decade ago he designed the concept, which made it into the 2005 Tory manifesto as a pledge to “introduce genuine local accountability

through elected police commissioners”. Its implementation, however, has led to the “big corporate parties” supporting party apparatchiks for the regional roles rather than independents with relevant expertise, he said. Mr Carswell added: “Sadly, despite the best efforts of Steve Hilton [a former Tory strategy chief] and myself, my former party used this as an opportunity to recycle failed politicians.” He also railed against Theresa May, the home secretary, for undermining the democratically elected office of PCCs by imposing edicts from the top. “Another fundamental failing is that Theresa May and her Home Office have been steadily increasing the oversight of local police forces, such as with stop-and-search rules. “The Home Office has imposed onesize-fits-all policies and it undermines

the whole rationale for having elected PCCs. Why have a PCC if the Home Office tells police forces what they must and must not do. Yet again Theresa May’s implementation has undermined the modernisers’ agenda.” He said he stood by the concept of PCCs, and did not support Labour’s plans to abolish them. He said encouraging “maverick” candidates with policing experience to stand would encourage the public to vote. “Let’s bring forward the colourful, Rudy Giuliani-type characters,” he said, referring to the charismatic former New York district attorney and mayor. “I think if we do that, the model would work. “The evidence shows that where good, credible candidates stood, turnout was considerably higher in previous PCC elections,” he added.

Tories hit by software glitch in Rochester election fight Laura Pitel Political Correspondent

Conservatives in the seat of Rochester and Strood warned that a key campaign tool was in disarray just weeks before a by-election was triggered. Andrew Mackness, chairman of the Tory association, said in July that the Merlin voter software “has proved a disaster” casting further doubt on the party’s ability to fend off Ukip in the seat. The constituency is in the grip of a fierce electoral battle after the defection of the former MP, Mark Reckless,

to Ukip. The Kent contest has been declared a “must win” by senior Tories but two opinion polls have put the party between nine and 13 points behind. Minutes of a meeting of the executive council of Rochester and Strood Conservatives, seen by The Times, reveal the extent of local concern about the programme, designed to help campaigners target the right people. Mr Mackness is said to have told colleagues: “Work that was done to rectify issues when we merged with Central Office has left us with more problems,

and we are no longer confident that Merlin delivers.” He said that plans were afoot to introduce a new system custom-built by a local councillor, but it is understood that these were never implemented. Conservative sources said that the by-election campaign was being run using a combination of Merlin and a new tool called VoteSource, a replacement database being rolled out before the general election. They insisted that there had been no issues with the tandem systems. The revelation came as

questions were raised over a claim by the Conservative candidate, Kelly Tolhurst, that she has been a dogged opponent of a controversial housing development in the constituency. Election literature claims that Ms Tolhurst has “consistently campaigned against” plans to build 5,000 new homes at Lodge Hill on the Hoo Pensinsula. Tom Mason, a local Tory councillor who has been at the forefront of opposition to the development told The Times that Ms Tolhurst had never spoken to him about the issue.

Don’t give an inch to Ukip, Blair warns Michael Savage Chief Political Correspondent

Ukip is a party that has a “rather nasty core of prejudice” that must be taken on and defeated, Tony Blair has warned. The former prime minister issued a stern message to David Cameron and Ed Miliband that pandering to Ukip over immigration would only help fuel its popularity. In an unbridled attack on Nigel Farage’s party, Mr Blair said that Ukip had policies that would “take this country backwards economically, politically, in every conceivable way”. Both party leaders have talked up their plans to curb immigration in the face of Ukip’s surging poll ratings. However, Mr Blair said that trying to stop immigration would be “a disaster for this country”. He also warned Labour that it would face defeat if it shifted to the left. “There’s a huge desire in a large part of the media in this country to return British politics to a traditional Tory party fighting a traditional Labour party,” he said, adding that such a contest would end in “a traditional result”. Several senior Labour figures, including Jack Straw and David Blunkett, have said that the party made a mistake in allowing eastern European migration to take place too rapidly. Last week Mr Miliband vowed that a new immigration reform bill would be one of the priorities of a Labour government after the election.

the times | Friday October 31 2014

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News TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER RICHARD POHLE

enemy aircraft and shared another kill during more than 200 hours of combat flying. Yesterday Mr Lamb visited the Imperial War Museum at Duxford to view a restored P-51, left and above, painted in the livery of his first aircraft, Etta Jeanne II, which was named after his younger sister — and in which he nearly died when the engine caught fire, forcing him to bail

Wartime fighter ace, 90, returns to base

90-year-old American who flew 60 missions from an RAF base in Cambridgeshire during the Second World War has returned to England to unveil a restored P-51 Mustang

fighter plane (Billy Kenber writes). Huie Lamb was aged 20, right, when he served with the US army air forces’ 82nd Fighter Squadron, 78th Fighter Group, at RAF Duxford from August 1944. The ace pilot destroyed five

Corruption stops British aid from reaching poor Laura Pitel Political Correspondent

Britain’s efforts to tackle corruption overseas have had little success and are failing to meet the needs of the poor, the UK aid watchdog has warned. In a damning report, the Independent Commission for Aid Impact said that there was “little evidence” that taxpayer-funded programmes had reduced corruption levels. In at least one instance, a project not only failed to tackle bribery but actually increased the scope for it to occur. Nigerian police stations taking part in a scheme to reduce bribery were no more trusted — or less trusted — by the public than those outside its remit. In Nepal, where Britain still gives money directly to the government, citizen forums set up to increase local democracy “remain subject to political capture”, the report said. Local elites are “often able to use their status to influence the direction of funds towards their preferred projects”. Researchers were told of one Nepalese project where citizens had to pay bribes to government officials or obtain forged documents to access the Britishbacked scheme. The continuation of the programme breached one of the first principles of aid, that donors should do “no harm”, the report said. The findings are a blow to David Cameron, who has been forced to defend his pledge to spend 0.7 per cent of gross national income on overseas aid, despite welfare and defence cuts. Justine Greening, the international development secretary, has chosen to end Britain’s support to countries such as India. MPs were incredulous that

Top recipients of British aid 1. Pakistan £338m Pakistan has a terrible record on tax collection, although it is trying to implement reforms 2. Ethiopia £329m Thousands of government opponents have been tortured and killed by the state 3. Bangladesh £272m £5m was given to support a Bangladeshi version of “Question Time” 4. India £269m The country has a multi-million pound space programme. UK aid will end by 2015 5. Nigeria £249m “Model police stations” funded by DfID are seen as no less corrupt than others 6. Afghanistan £212m Efforts to tackle opium poppy farming have failed spectacularly Sources: DfID and World Bank, 2013

Britain was still supporting the burgeoning Asian nation as it enjoyed strong economic growth and launched its own space programme. The prime minister has maintained that he will not “balance the books on the backs of the poorest people in the world”, but faces continued calls from some Tory backbenchers to reduce development spending. They point to growing support for Ukip, which favours slashing the £11 billion spent each

year on foreign aid, as a reason to revisit the promise. Philip Davies, the Tory MP for Shipley, said the ICAI review underlined this argument. “Reports like this again show the government is on the wrong track,” he said. “Me and Nigel Farage are probably as one on overseas aid.” The Department for International Development could not provide a figure for the total spent on anti-corruption projects; under the most narrow definition, it plans to spend £190 million on the issue. The report warned that corruption was a “fundamental issue that afflicts the everyday lives of the very poorest and thwarts global efforts to lift countries out of poverty.” It accused the government of failing to develop a strategy “equal to the challenge”. Sir Malcolm Bruce, the Lib Dem chairman of the international development committee, suggested that ICAI may have been over-ambitious about the UK’s ability to tackle corruption in countries riven by war, famine or entrenched poverty. A DfID spokeswoman said that the department had a “zero tolerance approach” to fraud and corruption. She said that it had plans in place to combat the issues in every country that receives bilateral UK aid. 6 The Roman Catholic church has attacked the government as “unChristian” for not supporting rescue missions to save refugees from drowning in the Meditteraean. Bishop Patrick Lynch, the church’s spokesman on migration, said that the decision was “a misguided abdication of responsibility” to desperate people.

out over the North Sea. “I never thought I would get to see this, it is heartwarming,” Mr Lamb said. “When I think of all the hard work that has happened to put it in the condition it’s in, it’s amazing.” Chris Knapp, the museum’s conservation manager, said: “We painted it authentically to show it as it would have been during the Second World War.”

The human bollard stands firm against a tide of fury Ann Treneman Parliamentary Sketch

ames Brokenshire is the immigration minister and, I am reliably informed, a human being. He does, however, have some less than human tendencies, including a voice that is more android than not, his words emitting at the tone and pace of a sat-nav. His movements are jerky, as if a puppeteer is at work. He looks young (12?), rectangular and solid, like a bollard on which someone has stuck a pair of rimless specs and topped with an extraordinary bogbrush hairdo. All of this worked to his advantage yesterday. A more human human might have collapsed under the sledging meted out to him over what was called the government’s “Let Them Drown” strategy on immigrants trying to get to Europe. For a bollard, though, such attacks are not nearly so hard to endure. Mr Brokenshire began by explaining that we had decided to stop saving the lives of immigrants in order to save more lives of immigrants. The operation had only encouraged more to try. If Labour had eggs, they would have been thrown. Instead, with many MPs on the highest highhorse they had ever ridden, they threw everything at him. “In all my years in academic philosophy, I never heard such sophistry,”

pontificated Barry Gardiner, who has no idea how pompous he sounds. Mr Brokenshire insisted, stolidly, bollardly, that there had been no sophistry: “I say again that the reality — the harsh reality — is that the current arrangements are making matters worse.” Sarah Teather of the Lib-Dems called his reasoning “absurd and deeply unethical”. People wanted to come to Europe because half the Middle East was burning. “We cannot wash our hands of these people, Pontius Pilate-style.” Pontius Pilate? So now Mr Brokenshire was on par with the man who executed Jesus. I looked over at the not insubstantial form of Tony Baldry, the closest thing we have to God as he represents the Church here, who raised one eyebrow in silent scepticism. “I entirely reject the analysis,” insisted Mr Brokenshire, sounding more android than not. The attacks kept coming. “This is where we are,” said Pete Wishart of the SNP. “This poisonous debate about immigration — this monstrous race to the bottom between the government and the Ukip as to who can be hardest on immigration — is leaving people to die in the Mediterranean. Are you not absolutely ashamed?” He was not ashamed. He was James Not-Broken-Shire. There were a few words of support from the maverick Philip Davies, who said: “To be perfectly honest, it was full of common sense.” Mr NotBroken’s face gave away nothing but, somewhere deep inside, possibly at the core of his bollard-ness, he must have felt like hugging him.

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Teaching by ability and too much praise can harm students Nicola Woolcock Education Correspondent

Fright night Halloween visitors to Whitby Abbey, which features in Bram Stoker’s Dracula, will learn about its dark history

Friday October 31 2014 | the times

Teaching children in ability sets can be harmful to their education, experts warn in a report today. They also claim that excessively praising pupils can do more harm than good. Grouping children by academic ability into sets is criticised in the report, which examined 200 pieces of research into the best teaching practice. Academics from Durham University write: “Evidence on the effects of grouping by ability, either by allocating students to different classes, or to within-class groups, suggests that it makes very little difference to learning outcomes.” They add: “It can result in teachers failing to accommodate different needs within an ability group and over-playing differences between groups, going too fast with the high-ability groups and too slow with the low.” The report, published by the Sutton Trust, a charity that tackles educational inequality, also says that too many teachers used excessive praise, which can become meaningless over time. “For low-attaining students, praise that is meant to be encouraging and protective can actually convey a message of low expectations. The evidence shows children whose failure generates sympathy are more likely to attribute it to lack of ability,” the report says. The report also appears to dismiss the claims that physically active lessons help pupils to learn better than ones in which they passively listened. Revision using highlighter pens and pre-lesson motivational speeches for pupils with low self-esteem are also deemed of little educational value. Instead, teachers should adopt direct

instruction, the report says. Good teaching practices include asking a large number of questions, and checking the responses of all pupils, plus spacing out the study or practice of a particular topic, with gaps in between to ensure it was committed to memory. Asking pupils to generate answers or take tests on a topic, even before they had been taught the material, is also found to be a good approach. Professor Robert Coe, its lead author, said: “Great teaching cannot be achieved by following a recipe, but there are some clear pointers in the research to approaches that are most likely to be effective, and to others, sometimes quite popular, that are not.” Dr Lee Elliot-Major, director of policy and development at the Sutton Trust, said: “It’s a scandal that we are so concerned with the learning of pupils, yet neglect the professional development of teachers themselves.” The report’s authors say that the best teaching is conducted by teachers with very strong subject knowledge, who make efficient use of classroom time and manage behaviour well. Previous Sutton Trust research shows that the quality of teaching is by far the biggest factor on the achievement of children from poorer backgrounds. It found that over a school year, poorer pupils gain one and a half years’ worth of learning with very effective teachers, compared with half a year with poorly performing teachers. Sir Michael Wilshaw, the Ofsted chief inspector, appeared to warn against ability grouping two years ago, when he said that some pupils were being held back by “the curse of mixedability classes without mixed-ability teaching”. He said that such teaching was “hugely difficult” to achieve.

Children of parents who left school early earn less Nicola Woolcock

Men born to parents who left school early earn about a fifth less than the sons of graduates, even when they hold the same qualifications, a report published today suggests. The direct effect of parental education is substantial in England and Northern Ireland, compared with other developed countries. Wales and Scotland were not included. When the qualifications of men in the study were not taken into account the gap in England and Northern Ireland widened to more than 50 per cent. Researchers from the Institute of Education, part of the University of London, looked at data on 40,000 men aged 25 to 59. They found the labour markets were meritocratic in Scandinavia and many other northern European countries. However, in France, Japan, South Korea, England and Northern Ireland the level of parental education had a much larger impact, and inequality was transmitted to the next generation. Women in England and Northern Ireland born to parents who were early school leavers earned 11 per cent less than the daughters of graduates, even though they held similar qualifications. John Jerrim, who led the study, said:

Counting the cost Difference in earnings between people whose parents were graduates and others USA 75% Slovak Republic 74% Poland 61% England and Northern Ireland 51% Japan 44% France 40% South Korea 40% Ireland 39% Spain 35% Italy 33% Source: Institute of Education

“The UK may offer particularly high economic rewards for going to a ‘good’ university, whereas, in other countries, ‘a degree is a degree’. “As children from advantaged backgrounds tend to go to more highly ranked universities in this country, this could help to explain our results. “It is also reasonable to assume that the sons and daughters of families with greater financial resources may be given more time to find a suitable job.”

the times | Friday October 31 2014

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GETTY IMAGES

Policeman drowned rescuing his family Graham Keeley Madrid David Brown

Prince Harry, Barbara Windsor, Joss Stone and other Royal British Legion supporters at Buckingham Palace yesterday

Guards hired as crowds flock to see poppies Kaya Burgess

Private security guards have been hired to marshal crowds visiting the 800,000 ceramic poppies at the Tower of London because they have become so popular with tourists. Visitors have been advised to wait until next week and to arrive before 10am. Historic Royal Palaces has hired extra staff on the walkways around the display of 888,246 poppies being planted in the moat for the Blood Swept

Lands and Seas of Red display. Yesterday, community support officers used megaphones to ask people not to stand on the pavement near the Tower and fencing was placed over the railings to prevent people gathering by the road. London Underground advised visitors not to use Tower Hill station. Up to four million visitors are expected to visit the artwork by Armistice Day. All the ceramic poppies have now been sold online for £25 each. An email from the Historic Royal Palaces said:

“We estimate that delivery will take place in January to February 2015.” Buyers who had hoped to give the poppies as Christmas presents will be able to print a special gift certificate. The display was created by Paul Cummins, and Tom Piper, a stage designer, and was described by the prime minister as “extremely poignant”. Each poppy represents a British and Commonwealth military death during the First World War.

A retired British policeman drowned saving the life of his wife and granddaughter who had got into difficulty off a Spanish beach. David Walter, 67, and his wife Mel were on a two-year European tour in their camper van when they visited La Manga del Mar Menor, a resort popular with Britons, with their granddaughter on Monday. They were swimming off Las Sirenas beach when they got into difficulties. Rescuers threw a lifebelt to his wife, 53, and granddaughter, but were unable to save Mr Walter, from Wroxham, near Norwich, who had served with Norfolk police for 30 years. Mrs Walter and their granddaughter did not need hospital treatment. On the morning of his death Mr Walter copied a message to his Facebook page which read: “My greatest wish is that my kids always know how much I love them, and that they walk through the rest of their life knowing I’ll be there for them anyway I can.” Terry Hughes, group scout leader of Hoveton and Wroxham Sea Scouts, where Mr Walter had helped out as a kayaking instructor for the past 10 years, described him as “a great inspiration”. He said: “He died doing what he did best, which is helping people. I

Behind the story

avid Walter, inset, died after trying to help his granddaughter just two days after three men aged 42 to 52 were killed while trying to rescue a group of teenage boys from the waves in Cornwall. The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) this summer launched a safety campaign targeted at men, who represent two thirds of the 160 coastal deaths in Britain each year. Cold water shock is thought to be a contributing factor. Tim Ash, an RNLI spokesman, said: “There is always a significant risk that the person going into the sea will also end up in difficulty. ”

wouldn’t expect anything different of him. He would go out of his way to help other people whether it was people he knew or didn’t know.” Simon Bailey, the chief constable of Norfolk, said: “The fact that Dave put his life on the line to help save someone else reflects the type of officer and person I knew he was.” Two weeks ago, a 78-year-old German woman died while swimming at the same resort.

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Friday October 31 2014 | the times

News

One in seven young Britons has sympathy with Isis cause Oliver Moody

One in seven young British adults has “warm feelings” towards Islamic State, according to a poll. Isis is riding a surge of “anti-politics” sentiment among disaffected under35s who admire the jihadists’ courage, academics warn. A tenth of Londoners and one in 12 Scots view Islamic State (Isis) favourably, but sympathy for the militant group reaches its highest levels among the under-25s, the Populus survey found. In the first rigorous poll to test the UK’s feelings about Isis, 2,000 adults were asked to rank several countries and terrorist organisations on a scale of one to ten, according to how “warmly and favourably” they felt about them. Although an overwhelming majority of the public — 88 per cent — gave Isis a low score, 5.2 per cent of 18 to 34-yearolds gave it a nine or a ten. Overall, 14 per cent of under-25s and 12 per cent of 25 to 34-year-olds gave Islamic State a score of between six and ten, implying a degree of sympathy. Experts said that the young people who admire Isis would probably include a small but significant number of non-Muslims disillusioned with the government and its foreign policy, as well as a core of Islamists. Jonathan Githens-Mazer, associate professor in Arab and Islamic Studies at the University of Exeter, said that the sympathy for Isis came at the crest of a

Isis poll People with “warm and favourable” feelings towards Islamic State

of those questioned in the whole of the UK

9% 8%

in London

in Scotland

14%

of 18 to 24-year-olds

12%

of 25 to 34-year-olds

of those aged 65 and over

Source: Populus survey for We Believe in Israel

Online today

Interactive map Who sympathises with Isis? On tablet and at thetimes.co.uk/uknews

digital revolution that had “changed everything”. Many under-35s had a deeply ingrained scepticism of Westminster and the media, turning instead to blogs promoting dissident and “antipolitical” ideas, he said. “There’s a big

trend here, which is what happens to the state — and does the state matter any more? It fits in with British scepticism about the EU.” The 18 to 35-year-olds were the group most likely to view Britain and the US unfavourably. The poll showed that one in eight under-35s has a degree of goodwill towards Hamas and Hezbollah. Clive Field, director of the British Religion in Numbers project at the University of Manchester, said of the poll: “It does go some way toward explaining why we have actually got five British citizens going away looking for jihad every week and we have got at least 500 over there already.” Dr Field said that while the poll could be a rogue result it hinted at an “admiration” for the aggression with which Isis embraced its insurgency rather than support for its aims and methods. Marat Shterin, senior lecturer in sociology of religion at King’s College London, said that it was important not to “give Isis a gift by being unnecessarily alarmist”. There are at least three explanations for the levels of sympathy for Islamic State among the young, he believes, including ignorance of foreign affairs, distrust of broadcasters and the press, and rebelliousness or annoyance towards the “establishment”. Dr Shterin said: “I do not expect most of those who expressed a degree of ‘support’ for Isis really agree with its ideology and politics.”

Isis carries out massacre, page 23

Sail of the century Coal Barge by LS Lowry is expected to fetch between £700,000 and £1 million at an auction next month, which also features a painting by John Duncan Fergusson that had not been seen

for almost 100 years. Poise, featuring a woman in a blue dress, right, was painted in 1916 and last exhibited in Glasgow two years later. It was found in a house in Giverny, France, by the

grandchildren of a couple who were acquaintances of Claude Monet. The painting is expected to fetch £100,000 at Christie’s sale of modern British and Irish art.

the times | Friday October 31 2014

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News

CHRISTIE’S / PA

Christie’s launches ‘buy-it-now’ button in bid to beat eBay Georgie Keate

Christie’s, the auction house, is competing with eBay and holding an online auction in which bidders can press a “buy-it-now” button. Instead of cut-price phones, video games and miscellaneous “vintage” items usually found on eBay, Christmas shoppers can peruse chrome-plated coffee machines, stuffed dogs and Bulgari quartz watches on the Christie’s website. The showroom has introduced a “buy-it-now” button, bypassing the bidding process so that items can be bought at a fixed price. It is aimed at Christmas shoppers with up to £13,000 to spend on a single present, and has listed 42 lots for its interiors sale on December 9, although shoppers can buy them between November 14 and December 3, either online or from its London showroom. Called the Christie’s Buy or Bid, shoppers can choose between a 1962 pinball machine for £10,400, a pair of fossilised giant deer or Irish elk

antlers for the same price, or a Swiss gilt brass Atmos clock for £1,040. Although the prices are far higher than the auction estimates, all the items are handed over gift-wrapped, even the antlers. Nic McElhatton, the chairman of Christie’s in South Kensington, said the project “builds on the existing auction offerings” while offering “customers the quality, value and expertise for which Christie’s is renowned”. “For the first time at Christie’s, buyers can secure a handpicked item for a fixed price — they don’t have to bid; they can walk in and walk out of Christie’s with their purchase, or buy on our website. “Outside the fixed timeframe to buy, shoppers have another opportunity to bid at the auction. Whether you are new to auction and want to secure a unique present for Christmas, or a regular at Christie’s, come to Christie’s South Kensington for coffee, to meet the specialists and explore the eclectic Christie’s Buy or Bid selection.” The price for these earrings is £3,250, but the auction estimate is £2,500

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News HOTSPOT MEDIA

Friday October 31 2014 | the times

Widow begs judge not to jail killer Georgie Keate

Darren Sykes with his sons Paul, 9, left, and Jack, 12. His former wife says that he lured the boys to the attic with the promise of a new train set and set light to it

Father ‘lured sons to deaths in attic fire’ Georgie Keate

A mother whose two sons were killed in a house fire says that her former husband set light to the attic and locked the children inside. Claire Sykes, 42, lost her youngest son, Paul, 9, last Wednesday when firefighters pulled him from the house. Her older son Jack, 12, was in hospital for

five days before he also died. Their father, Darren Sykes, 44, died in the fire. Mrs Sykes, a caretaker, has spoken out to claim that Mr Sykes lured their sons up to the attic with a promise of a new train set before setting light to the house in Penistone, Barnsley. “I want people to know they were murdered by their father,” she told the Daily Mirror. “He killed them because

of pure, evil spite. They had no chance. They were like rats in a trap and they fell for his cold plan.” She said that Mr Sykes, who was often violent during heir 16-year marriage, had texted the boys earlier that day to tell them about the train set, before picking them up from their grandparents where they had been staying since their parents divorced. He

then drove them to the house where the family had lived together. “They must have shot straight into the attic,” Mrs Sykes said, who comforted Jack in hospital. “He set it up as a playroom and as soon as they were in, he shut the hatch. They must have been terrified.” An inquest into the deaths is due to open next week.

A widow whose husband died when a car reversed into him pleaded with a judge to be merciful to the driver, and even rose to hug the man in court. Doreen Cross, 80, said her husband Bill’s death was a “genuine accident” and that the guilt of the driver, Paul Bithell, 30, was “punishment enough”. The driver, a father of two, who had pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving, was facing jail after it was revealed he had a previous conviction for drink driving. However, after the widow’s plea, the judge gave Mr Bithell a 12-month community order and banned him from driving for a year. As he left the dock, Mrs Cross walked over to him and they hugged, both of them weeping. “It was a genuine accident,” Mrs Cross said. Bill Cross, 79, whose grandson, Tom Pope, is a striker for Port Vale, was a regular at the Sneyd Arms near Stoke-onTrent, and had visited on a November evening last year. As Mr Cross walked through the car park, Mr Bithell, a decorator, reversed into him. Although the car was travelling at only 5mph, Mr Cross was knocked over and sustained a head injury from which he died in hospital 17 days later. Judge David Fletcher told Bithell that he had to “live with the knowledge you are responsible for the death of another human being”.

the times | Friday October 31 2014

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Tax official ‘leaked budget for cash’ David Brown

A senior Revenue & Customs official who leaked secrets of the Labour government’s final budget was paid more than £17,000 by a journalist, a court was told yesterday. Jonathan Hall told The Sun that Alistair Darling would announce an increase in fuel duty in a story published on the day of the 2010 budget, the Old Bailey was told. The press officer also allegedly leaked details that Ed Balls, who was then education secretary, was spending £24 million to move civil servants from London to Coventry and that the new coalition government was ending Child Trust Funds to cut the budget deficit. Clodagh Hartley, the Whitehall editor of The Sun, is accused of paying Mr Hall a total of more than £17,000 for confidential information over a twoyear period. She claimed that she had received

Labour’s entire 2010 budget the day before it was delivered but was told that the story was not used because Dominic Mohan, who was then editor, was nervous, the court has heard. Zoe Johnson, QC, for the prosecution, said: “Hall was motivated by greed and Hartley was motivated by acquirJonathan Hall, an HMRC press officer, was allegedly paid a total of £17,000

ing the next big scoop. The press officer’s job is to manage the dissemination of news, not to disclose it for money.” Mr Hall, who was a senior information officer at the law enforcement media desk, had accepted that he supplied stories for which he was paid, the court was told.

He first sold a story to The Sun in April 2008 when he was paid £500, 16 months before joining the HMRC press office, the court was told. In December 2009 he was allegedly paid £500 for a story that celebrities including Kelly Brook were being paid to publicise a government website. Three months later, The Sun revealed on budget day that fuel duty was going to be increased. Ms Hartley allegedly requested that Mr Hall be paid £750. Ms Johnson said: “Readers of The Sun newspaper were reading about the details of this budget before the chancellor of the exchequer had got to his feet in the House of Commons. The budget is a closely guarded secret and should be announced first to parliament and not broadcast in advance in the newspapers.” Two days later, Ms Hartley wrote that the chancellor had thrown a party for 200 Treasury staff despite a £20 billion hole in his budget. Mr Hall was

allegedly paid £600. The journalist also allegedly requested that Mr Hall was paid a total of £1,300 for stories about Coca-Cola wanting to stop a soft drink tax and for information about fuel and alcohol duty rises. No specific articles were published, the court was told. Ms Johnson said: “This prosecution is not an attack upon the freedom of the press to report on matters that may interest the public or are in the public interest. The freedom of the press does not include an entitlement to break the law.” Mr Hall attempted to “cover his tracks” by arranging for more than £13,000 of the money to paid into the bank account of his girlfriend, Marta Bukarewicz, the court heard. She allegedly received a “commission” for allowing her account to be used. Ms Hartley, 40, and Ms Bukarewicz deny conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office. The trial continues.

Mirror journalists may be charged over phone hacking Alex Spence Media Editor

Criminal charges against former journalists at the Mirror newspaper titles accused of illegally hacking phones are believed to be imminent. A lawyer for the Metropolitan police told the High Court that the newspaper publisher had recently handed new evidence to Scotland Yard that

influenced the assessment of whether charges should be brought, according to The Independent. A spokesman for Trinity Mirror, which owns the Mirror newspapers, did not comment. Last month the company admitted for the first time that its journalists had illegally accessed voicemail messages in pursuit of stories, and paid damages to several celebrities. Trinity

Mirror is expecting to pay out close to £10 million in compensation and legal costs in civil cases relating to alleged hacking. Last month Trinity Mirror said that it had admitted liability and apologised to four people, including Alan Yentob, the BBC’s creative director, and Shane Richie, the EastEnders actor. A hearing is expected next year to determine the

amount of compensation that it will have to pay those claimants. Trinity Mirror separately agreed to pay damages to another six people, including Sven-Göran Eriksson, the former England football manager, and Christopher Eccleston, the former Doctor Who actor. About 50 cases are thought to have been filed or are pending.

News

Ditch your own sites and join us, says Facebook James Dean Technology Correspondent

Facebook is asking news sites and other digital publishers whether they want to scrap their websites and post directly on the social network instead. The social media giant wants users to be able to read news and articles on mobile devices without visiting external sites, and is offering to split the advertising revenue with publishers. Chris Cox, chief product officer of Facebook, admitted that publishers had expressed concerns. He told the New York Times that their fears were unfounded, however. “We feel a responsibility to work with publishers to come up with as good an experience as we can for consumers,” he said. “We want and need that to be a good experience for publishers as well.” Chris Duncan, chief marketing officer of News UK, the publisher of The Times, told Business Insider that publishers would be “handing over the keys to all the things digital publishers are good at” if they signed up to the deal. “The insidious part is that you are creating performance-based editorial,” he said. “If you get the Facebook algorithm to dictate the quality of content based on what it can see on the Facebook network — time on site, likes, shares — it rewards a certain type of article so you’re not incentivised to write news that’s important but that is not necessarily likely to go viral.”

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Friday October 31 2014 | the times

News

Calais gang charged migrants £4,000 to enter UK in a car boot -- or £800 by lorry Charles Bremner Paris

Nine men have been jailed in France for smuggling hundreds of migrants into Britain, charging up to £4,000 for “guaranteed” passage in the boot of a car with a complicit driver. The trial in Boulogne-sur-Mer of the eight Egyptians and a Tunisian offered a glimpse of the large sums earned by gangs who sell passage to would-be migrants gathered in Calais and other Channel ports, with the hope of reach-

ing England. The men, in their 20s and 30s, who were referred to by nicknames — Saad, Ahmad, Awad, Tamer, Sayed, Rafik, Walid, Escandria and Guisa — were part of a network of human traffickers who were working for bosses based in Britain, the court was told. The judge said that the identities given by the defendants were not credible. They were sentenced to between ten months and six years in prison, with expulsion at the end of their terms for all but one. Abou Walid, an Egyptian who

was said to be one of the bosses of the network, received the highest sentence of six years. The men, who were arrested last year after an eight-month surveillance operation by French police, would sell packages to refugees in and around Calais. Stephane Duchateau, a lawyer, told the court that there were two types of contract. “The first was the standard one which involved being stowed in a lorry and cost up to £800 per head. The guaranteed package was usually in a

car boot, with a driver who knew they were there. This had a much higher rate of success and cost up to £4,000.” Payment for the crossing was made from England once the passengers had safely made the journey. Fees were sent by wire transfer to the traffickers in Calais, who splashed out on luxuries while continuing to live in squats. Prosecutors said the men, who were among many preying on desperate emigrants from Africa, were responsible alone for spiriting some 2,500 people across the Channel, despite stringent efforts by the French and British authorities to detect human cargo aboard the thousands of vehicles that cross every week. The surge in arrivals from Afghanistan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia and Sudan has raised demand for organised crossings in recent months and also prompted desperate refugees to stage mass charges at parked lorries. Jennyfer Vasseur, the lawyer for one of the traffickers, several of whom had already received sentences under other identities, called the prison terms excessively heavy. “They have paid for an affair which in itself was not exceptional. Cases of people-smugglers are coming through this court every week,” she said. The sentences were stiffer than usual because prosecutors charged the defendants with operating as an organised gang, a more serious offence than people-smuggling. The men argued that they did not know one another. Up to 2,500 refugees are living rough in the Calais area. Natacha Bouchart, the mayor, this week told a parliamentary committee in London that the lure of British welfare benefits was drawing them to the Channel and the dream of a good life.

Imam plans to sue over sham wedding trial An imam accused of conducting hundreds of sham marriages and laundering more than £1 million plans to sue the Home Office for putting him through “two years of hell”, after prosecutors eventually dropped the case against him. Mohammed Mattar, 63, said that he was considering taking legal action and demanded that UK Border Agency investigators personally apologise for “making a mug” of him. He was accused of arranging 580 sham marriages from the Dar al-Dawa Islamic Centre in Bayswater, west London. However, the Crown Prosecution Service failed to disclose all of its relevant material to Mr Mattar’s defence team and its application for an extension of time was refused, leading to the collapse of the case. Mr Mattar said it had collapsed as they had no evidence, despite searching “every last inch” of his business and his northwest London home. The Egyptian-born bookseller said: “This has upset my family greatly, it has affected me psychologically, my wife has been left worried that the police will come to the house every day.” The CPS dropped charges of facilitating illegal marriages in September. In April it dropped money-laundering charges against Mr Mattar after accusing him of transferring £1,887,262 in criminal profits through an Egyptian bank account.

Soldier jailed for murdering comrade A soldier found guilty of murdering a comrade in an attack at their barracks has been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 15 years. Lance Corporal Richard Farrell, 23, of the Royal Irish Regiment, denied killing Corporal Geoffrey McNeill, 32, in March, but was found guilty at Birmingham crown court. Judge Melbourne Inman, QC, said he was satisfied that the attack had been premeditated, dismissing Farrell’s claim that he had gone to make amends with Corporal McNeill, after an altercation in which the corporal had punched him, but had found him dead.

Virtuoso performance

A 300-year-old violin made by Antonio Stradivari and once owned by the fifth Duke of Marlborough has sold for £624,000 at auction by Ingles & Hayday in London.

Postal no-go zone Residents of a private road are having to make a four-mile trip to collect their post after Royal Mail stopped delivering because of “a number of incidents involving colleagues falling and slipping”. Alfred Poole, 79, one of about a hundred people who live in The Villas, Stoke-on-Trent, said: “It’s health and safety gone mad. I’m an old man and if I can manage the paving slabs, I’m sure the postman can.”

Fungal threat to newts Imported Asian newts and salamanders carry a deadly fungal disease that puts native species such as the great-crested newt at risk, according to a study in Science. The Asian species are immune to the infection, which wiped out 96 per cent of Dutch fire salamanders last year. The fungus upsets the balance of the creatures’ salts, stopping their ability to “breathe” through the skin.

It’s a standing order . . . An attention-seeker has been given an Asbo banning him from falling over. Andrew Davies, 51, of Princes Risborough, Buckinghamshire, had developed a habit when drunk of lying in the road feigning injuries and persuading motorists to call an ambulance for him. The two-year Asbo, issued by magistrates, also bans him from being drunk in public or dialling 999 unless there is a real emergency.

the times | Friday October 31 2014

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comment pages of the year

Enough of this poisonous bunkum. Pardon the witch Ben Macintyre Page 19

Opinion

Austerity is over – and that’s a big mistake

No one is shedding tears that deficit reduction has given way to tax cuts. But we’re storing up trouble for the future Tim Montgomerie

@montie

’m sad to report the death of a very good friend of the young people of Britain. The death hasn’t been formally announced. In fact, despite mounting evidence, its parents continue to insist that their offspring is still alive. I’m talking of the love child of David Cameron and Nick Clegg, born in the Downing Street rose garden over four years ago. Their marriage was never a romantic liaison, however. It was always a marriage arranged by the electorate to save money — hundreds of billions of pounds. The parents of the project called it the elimination of the budget deficit. The Labour party called it an impossibly large cuts programme. Whatever it should be called, it is now hard to deny that the ambition to ensure we do not load the next generation with our own generation’s debts has been buried alive. Buried under party conference promises to spend more money on the NHS, childcare, free school meals and pensions. And — as the prime minister set out in his article in yesterday’s Times — buried under unfunded promises to cut tax. I’ve lost count of the number of times the chancellor told parliament that deficit reduction was, regrettably, falling behind schedule, but perhaps the writing was on the wall from the very beginning. When Mr Cameron promised to protect so many of the big-ticket budgets, including health, education and

pensions, it was always hard to see how other departments could cope with cuts that consequently would be twice as large. And then there was the decision to backload cuts on to the second half of the parliament. Was the government ever going to make the biggest, hardest decisions in the run-up to an election? So long as the deficit was falling it was at least possible to believe that the government still meant what it said, but the deficit is no longer falling. It’s up by 10 per cent this year. There was a moment, during the depths of the financial crisis, when the idea of Britain borrowing more than £100 billion a year scared the living daylights out of a majority of voters. That moment has probably gone. We’ve now had six successive years in which we’ve borrowed more than £100 billion. George Osborne has presided over what Mark Littlewood, of the proausterity Institute of Economic Affairs, has called the biggest Keynesian stimulus in modern British history.

The danger is that the world will be hit by a new economic shock Privately officials inside the Treasury and Bank of England struggle to hide their concern but they hope that discipline will be renewed after the election. The politics of the deficit suggest it won’t be. I asked a Conservative MP to estimate how many letters she received from voters complaining about missed deficit targets. She narrowed her eyes and looked heavenwards for some kind of answer. “Not sure. Can’t remember any if I’m honest but I’m sure I must have had one or two.”

“OK,” I said, “and what about letters protesting about cuts to benefits, or to local libraries?” At this point her eyes widened. The hands rather than the head pointed upwards. “Loads and loads,” she replied. The immediate electoral cost of making spending cuts is simply much, much greater than the cost of failing to eliminate the deficit. This is why I can’t blame Mr Osborne for the great retreat from his vow to get Britain out of the red. The angel on his right shoulder does still worry about Britain heading into the future with a debt burden of £1.5 trillion, but the devil on his left shoulder knows that there’s probably little political cost in choosing to manage rather than eliminate borrowing. I blame nearly all of us: those letter-writers; Her Majesty’s opposition for opposing every difficult cut that the chancellor has made; the BBC Today programme for filling the airwaves with anti-cuts moaning minnies. But I also blame Tory MPs. The chancellor is not — surprise, surprise — inundated with Conservative backbenchers demanding that services in their constituencies be cut back. Tory MPs are nearly always at the front of the queue when a local A&E department is threatened. And that’s before we get on to their calls for tax cuts. Left-wing opponents of austerity may even claim to have been vindicated. They insisted the skies wouldn’t fall in if we carried on borrowing and it hasn’t. Deficit doves always said Britain’s debts were much higher in the past and hawks like me should calm down. Well, personally, I’m not ready to chillax. It is of zero relevance that our debts were smaller in the 1950s or ’60s. We’re not competing with the past. We’re competing with Germany, Poland,

and the young will suffer most. They always do when governments lose control of the public finances. In giving up on deficit elimination I don’t suggest that Mr Osborne has given up on all deficit reduction. During the next parliament he still plans lots of spending cuts but it is unlikely that those cuts will be big enough to return Britain to balance. Team Osborne will protest that I

The only hope for our finances is rescue by a global economic boom Tory MPs are often at the front of the queue when a local A&E is threatened

Canada, Australia and fast-emerging market economies with lower levels of gross debt. As we march into the future the nations that have done more to reduce their deficits (such as Spain, Ireland and, embarrassingly, Greece) will be able to spend a greater share of their future taxes on roads, universities and other economyenhancing infrastructure projects. An increasing share of our taxes will go on servicing the £600 billion we’ve already borrowed to get through the Great Recession — and with much more borrowing still to come. Then there is the greater danger that the world will be hit by another economic shock, and international investors will conclude that they’ve lent more than enough to Britain. In those circumstances deficit reduction will not be a choice. It will be rapid and ugly. The poor, the old, the sick

underestimate its resolve. Perhaps I do, but promises of cuts tomorrow are hard to believe. The easy cuts have already been made. The axe has been swung so deeply into some budgets, notably local government and defence, that further cuts could be devastating. Other budgets, such as the NHS, are promised more cash. Then there are the PM’s tax-cut pledges. The only hope for the public finances is that they are rescued by a global economic boom, because salvation isn’t going to come from Westminster. No party in British politics, including the governing parties, has any serious plan to get rid of the deficit. If any ever did. Philip Collins is away

Morland animation Our cartoonist takes a satirical look at the ty scare Cameron security thetimes.co.uk/animations

Today Rain over Norway, with sharp showers in the southeast. Dry with sunny spells elsewhere. Max 26C (79F), min -4C (25F) Today’s temperatures forecast for noon

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The Low Countries, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Corsica, Italy, Sardinia, Spain, Portugal, Majorca, Menorca, Ibiza A fine and dry day with long sunny periods, but with some patchy cloud over Germany, the Alps and around coastal areas. Feeling very mild. Maximum 26C (79F), minimum -4C (25F).

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Please note, some sections of The Times are available only in the United Kingdom and Ireland ©TIMES NEWSPAPERS LIMITED, 2014. Published and licensed for distribution in electronic and all other derivative forms by Times Newspapers Ltd, 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF, telephone 020-7782 5000. Printed by Newsprinters (Broxbourne) Limited, Great Cambridge Road, Waltham Cross, EN8 8DY and also at Newsprinters (Knowsley) Limited, Kitling Road, Prescot, Merseyside, L34 9HN; Newsprinters (Eurocentral) Limited, Byramsmuir Road, Holytown, Motherwell, ML1 1NP; Belfast Telegraph Newspapers Ltd, 124 Royal Avenue, Belfast, BT1 1EB; Smurfit Kappa NewsPress Ltd, Kells Industrial Estate, Kells, County Meath, Ireland; Print Division Limerick Press, Leader Print, Unit 3, Corcanree Industrial Estate, Dock Road, Limerick, Ireland; Arab Media Group, Masar Printing and Publishing, PO Box 485100, Dubai, UAE; Europrinter, Av J. Mermoz, Zone Aeropole, 6041 Gosselies, Belgium; Bermont S.A, Av./Portugal, 4 (Centro de Transportes de Coslada), 28820 Coslada, Madrid; MOP, Zone Industrielle, Avenue De L’Europe, 13127 Vitrolles, Marseilles; Miller Newsprint Ltd, Miller House, Tarxien Road, Malta Airport, LQA 05 Luqa, Malta. Ioanni Kranidioti Avenue 206, 2235 Latsia, PO Box 24508, 1300 Lefkosia, Cyprus. TF Print SA, Edifico Multiusos, Poligono Industrial Los Majuelos, 38108 La Laguna, Sta. Cruz de Tenerife; Estetik, Kuscuburnu mevkii bati beton yolu no: 4 yazibasi torbali, Izmir, Turkey. Newsprint Italia srl, Via Campania 12, I - 20098 San Giuliano Milanese, Italy. Omniprint, Poligono Industrial Estate, Nave Omniprint, Santa Maria Dell Cami, 7320 Mallorca. For permission to copy articles or headlines for internal information purposes contact Newspaper Licensing Agency at PO Box 101, Tunbridge Wells, TN1 1WX, telephone 01892 525274, e-mail copy@nla.co.uk. For all other reproduction and licensing inquiries contact Syndication Department, 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF, telephone 020-7782 5400, e-mail syndication@thetimes.co.uk

Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, the Balkans, Moldova A largely dry day for most areas, but still the chance of the odd scattered shower. Sunny spells around the Adriatic coast, but otherwise mostly cloudy with just a few bright intervals. Maximum 12C (54F), minimum 0C (32F). Norway, Sweden, Denmark Rather cloudy, with a band of rain slowly drifting eastwards. Staying largely dry over Denmark. Maximum 8C (46F), minimum -4C (25F).

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Southern Italy, Sicily, Malta, Greece, Crete, Turkey, Cyprus Mostly cloudy with just a few bright intervals. The risk of sharp, scattered showers in places. Maximum 19C (66F), minimum 6C (43F). Finland, Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, western Russia, Ukraine A cloudy day, with showers in the north of the region. Maximum 8C (46F), minimum -3C (27F). British Isles A fine day, with long sunny spells over England and Wales. A band of thick cloud and rain will move eastwards over western Britain later. Maximum 21C (70F), minimum 6C (43F). Outlook Cloudy with rain over Scandinavia and far western Europe, but drier with sunny spells elsewhere.

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Speak directly to one of our forecasters on 09065 77 76 75 6am to 6pm daily (calls charged at £1.50 per minute plus network extras) For more information on the services we can provide, visit our website: quest www.weatherquest.co.uk weatherq

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Friday October 31 2014 | the times

Opinion

The young Americans are playing hard to get It’s too late for the mid-terms but the largest generation in US history could re-energise politics Justin Webb

@justinonweb

hey are calling the US midterm elections next Tuesday, “the Seinfeld poll” — a show about nothing. Seriously? Seinfeld was funny. People watched in huge numbers. They loved the characters. The comparison flatters this election. A better cultural reference might be a thoroughly English one, Edward Thomas’s poem Adlestrop: “No one left and no one came/ On the bare platform.” Truly these are the Adlestrop elections; they describe stillness. Only a name. Yes, a few governors’ mansions will change hands but, as Damian McBride noted in The Times on Wednesday, there will be no uniform swing to either party. Challengers might get enough lukewarm backing to see them limp over finishing lines; incumbents, even those who hold on to power, will be kicked in the teeth. The House of Representatives will stay in Republican hands. And the Senate? Well the Republicans only need to win a handful of seats to be the majority party but they will have little to celebrate if they do — they won’t have a filibuster-proof majority so will be able to do nothing without the agreement of Democrats. Same train wreck, different driver. Some optimistic centre-ground-

huggers hope that Republicans controlling the Senate will lead to pragmatic politics; as they will have to compromise to get their measures through, so perhaps serious issues can be addressed sensibly and moderately: immigration, the debt, climate change. Republicans can prove that they are for things as well as against them, and Democrats, including the president, can get things done. If that were likely, to put it bluntly, Americans would vote. More than that: they would put out bunting and dance naked in the streets. They are doing none of the above. They do not believe there is any real evidence that a new senate majority leader from the GoP would be able to come up with a coherent set of policies on which he and the president could agree. Those days are over. So people sit on their hands. The dismal scene was set by the

Voters would dance naked in the street if compromise was likely primaries earlier in the year that chose candidates for the parties to put before the electorate. Even in Iowa, a state with a proud place in American elections, the turnout was 9.7 per cent. No Iowan has ever danced naked in the street but they are very good at voting. Until this year. You could dismiss it as a sullen time in American history and turn away. You could hope for more joy in two years when they choose a president. But I am not sure sullenness is the whole story, nor is

The new voters have little time for government and little faith in US power

the relative unimportance of the national race. What is happening here is that a key constituency is playing harder and harder to get. And the way this group votes next Tuesday will point the way to the future of the nation. Because these people are, as politicians like to tell us, the future. This is the election of the millennial generation. In Britain we are used to the elderly being superserved by our elected representatives, because the young do not vote in large numbers. In America it is equally true that young people find getting out of bed on polling day tricky to manage but there is a big difference — there are many many, more of them. In the first fifty years of this century America is on track to add another 100 million to its

population. While most of the industrialised world ages, Americans are getting younger. This is the largest generation in American history and they are coming into power over the next decade. Many are non-white; two thousand Hispanic Americans turn 18 every day. These people elected Barack Obama but more have come of age since he came to power and they are certainly not the “rainbow generation” we knew and loved in 2008. In fact a national poll of 18 to 29-year-old Americans conducted by Harvard’s Institute of Politics suggested this week that their support is truly up for grabs. Most of those who said that they were likely to vote on Tuesday were intending to support Republicans. As John Della Volpe, the director of the Harvard survey, puts it, “young people are returning to their preObama roots of being a swing-vote constituency”. They are a swing-vote constituency of growing power — and complexity. They are socially liberal but have little time for government. They are connected via social media to the outside world in a way that previous generations were not, but have little faith in American power. They do not like the Democrats much. They do not like the Republicans much. That is where they are — America’s young, unwooed by any politicians. Yes it is possible that the Republicans will proclaim victory in the Senate next week. But proclaiming victory is not the same as tasting it. My firm predication for next Tuesday? Everyone will lose.

Helen Rumbelow Notebook

This isn’t a Hallowe’en horror story, it’s Airbnb

he room is lit only by the ghoulish moonlight of my laptop screen, as I write this. Two young children sleep trustfully in the bed next to me. I’m a lone woman in a stranger’s flat in Paris. It belongs to a man I met on a website; when he handed me the key I noted his gnarly ponytail. How safe would you feel? Safer than I could work myself into feeling right now. I could write quite the Hallowe’en horror story about Airbnb, the internet phenomenon that allows anyone to rent out their home to holidaymakers. I came to Airbnb after years of house-exchange holidays. House exchanges are similar — you trawl websites for homes in the destination of choice — but are like internet dating compared to Airbnb’s more prostitutional vibe. With house exchange, you have to find people exactly compatible with your dates and location, and they must want you

just as much. In Airbnb you tout your most intimate possession for cash. In love there is always a mismatch: both sides of the house exchange understood that one was getting a better deal, and, surprisingly, it was more excruciating when it was you. The slovenly Amsterdam house where — I don’t know why this mattered but it did — my Dutch counterpart had left a hairy hairbrush on the bed, was quite relaxing. It was when staying in a luxurious house in Brussels that we sweated, imagining our exchange partner’s shocked exclamations at our squalor back in London. This translates into deeper truths about relationships. Airbnb is not about love. I’ve paid the guy £70 a night for love not to come into the sleeping arrangements. It’s about trust. Life in the Paris flat of the ponytail guy is still intimate. He’s not staying here, but his childhood photos are, I’ve read the inscriptions in his mother’s books. I could trash it all in an instant, as he could prey on me. Very little in this world — except, perhaps, Grindr — delivers live humans to your door, fresh from the internet. It makes me understand people are getting more trusting of strangers, not less.

The bottom line

he glowing green cross adorning every local pharmacy is the real national flag of France. Its neon casts a sickening light on nearly every corner of the capital city. Each is packed with stacks of adverts and bottles featuring alabaster bottoms. From this you can deduce the terrible disease that needs treating with such force — cellulite. Remember cellulite? We have the French to thank for the discovery of this disease, that spread rapidly across the we western woman’s hindquarters. By the mid-1990s it had become epidemic: I remember record prices for paparazzi shots of a dimple on Princess Diana’s slender thighs. But gradually, barely without anyone noticing,

it’s died down in the UK. You could almost think it wasn’t a real disease in the first place, or that the potions didn’t work! How nice that scientists are free to turn their resources to less important western health issues, such as anti-scientific credulity, say, or, for that matter, obesity.

Play nicely

he publishing industry continues to flog books by Parisians to the British on how to raise a child as wonderful as a French one. These paragons eat radish and curtsey to Maman (see Why French Children Don’t Throw Food et al). The whole thing’s another marketing sham, as time in French playgrounds proves. It’s like a Clockwork Orange recast in Petit Bateau clothes. Tiny thugs in French wool coats and velvet collars terrorise my kids, ill-equipped by the peaceful ways of their native parks. Book proposal: French Children Throw the First Punch. Their mothers turn away to brush imaginary croissant crumbs off their leather trench coats. One woman did approach me, grim-faced. To apologise? No, she told me off, for not putting my son in a scarf. I thanked her, for the cultural experience. ‘@helenrumbelow

We cannot allow Russia Today to get away with its lies Oliver Kamm

xtra-terrestrials disguised as nuns have been out shopping in Los Angeles. President Kennedy was murdered by the CIA for opposing the Vietnam war. The 9/11 attacks were committed by the American government. The genocide of 8,000 Bosnian Muslims at Srebrenica in 1995 is a myth. You’d be surprised if these outlandish and deranged assertions appeared in The Times. Yet they’ve all been aired by the Kremlin-backed channel Russia Today, known since 2009 as RT. The station’s international programming has long been available in Britain. Yesterday it launched a UK service, broadcast from London. Ofcom is the independent regulator. It requires TV channels to report news accurately and present it with impartiality. RT doesn’t do that. Ofcom has already ruled against RT’s news coverage in separate cases and is investigating several further

It’s not a news channel at all. It’s a propaganda outlet for Putin complaints. In one flagrant breach an interviewee on RT claimed, with neither evidence nor challenge, that a massacre by President Assad’s forces in Syria had been committed instead by rebels. The problem with RT is not just bias but that it’s not a news channel at all. It’s a propaganda outlet for Vladimir Putin. Its broadcasting is a constant diet of lies in the service of a regime that murders journalists, imprisons protesters, defends dictators and menaces neighbouring states. Don’t take my word for it. Sara Firth, a London-based correspondent, resigned from RT in July in protest at its coverage of the Malaysia Airlines MH17 crash. RT suggested that the plane was shot down by Ukrainian government forces. “I couldn’t do it any more,” said Firth. “Every single day we’re lying and finding sexier ways to do it.” Liz Wahl, a Washington-based correspondent, resigned from RT live on air in March in protest at its coverage of Russian intervention in Crimea. “RT is not about the truth,” according to Wahl: “It’s about promoting a Putinist agenda.” I got an email a few days ago from an RT producer inviting me to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on one of the station’s flagship programmes. I replied that I would not appear on a channel whose hostility to news values is evinced by the cranks, racists, fantasists, fabulists and genocide deniers who form its staple list of “experts”. Ofcom should rigorously apply its own code to this den of deceivers.

the times | Friday October 31 2014

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Opinion

Buy prints or signed copies of Times cartoons from our Print Gallery at timescartoons.co.uk. Watch how Peter Brookes creates his daily oasis of anarchy at: foreverunquiet.co.uk

Churchill was right. Let’s pardon the witch

Helen Duncan was the last person prosecuted for witchcraft. It’s time we recognised all this poisonous bunkum Ben Macintyre

@benmacintyre1

ust off the broomstick, don the pointy hat, drag out the black cat; and when we have finished snorting at the delightfully unscary nonsense surrounding Hallowe’en, remember Britain’s last witch — unfairly prosecuted within living memory under British witchcraft laws, a scapegoat punished for society’s primal fears — who now deserves a full pardon. Hallowe’en does not evoke real fear of witchcraft, but instead ridicules that fear. Every year we dress up in elaborate costume to show we are no longer truly afraid of monsters in the darkness. But there was a time not so long ago when the terror of witches was genuine and women were singled out for harsh punishment for being different, and therefore dangerous. Alan Turing was granted a posthumous royal pardon last year because he had been prosecuted under anti-homosexual laws that we

now regard as pernicious and cruel. If the Queen is in the business of righting ancient wrongs by symbolic pardon, then next in line for exoneration should be Helen Duncan (pictured below), a Scottish woman jailed under witchcraft laws 70 years ago. Duncan, known as Hellish Nell by a frothingly overexcited wartime press, was a portly mother of six from Dundee who worked in a bleach factory. In 1926 she started giving séances in which she summoned the spirits of the dead by regurgitating stringy white ectoplasm, and speaking through her spirit guide “Peggy”, who liked to sing Baa Baa Black Sheep in falsetto. Duncan was simply a fraud, and not a very good one. Her ectoplasm was a combination of cheesecloth, mashed up loo paper and egg white. Peggy was made out of an old pair of tights and a face cut out of a magazine. Duncan did a lot of swooning and cursing; teacups flew; strange sounds emerged from closed cupboards. Photographs of Duncan, blindfolded and trussed up in a canvas bag, with a long spew of cheesecloth trailing out of her left nostril, might have alerted even the most gullible that something about her performance was a little dubious. Instead, she was hugely popular. Credulity, like fear, is contagious. She

was frequently exposed as a fake, which only added to her fame. Even after she was prosecuted for fraud and fined £10, eager audiences gathered in her parlour. Spiritualism surged in wartime, as bereaved families desperately tried to make contact with the dead; Duncan fed the hunger for consolation, but war was her undoing. At a séance in November 1941 she claimed to have contacted a sailor who had died aboard HMS Barham. News that the battleship had been torpedoed in the Mediterranean with the loss of 800 lives had not been made public. Duncan, now living in Portsmouth, had apparently picked up the news from gossiping sailors. Loose lips sink ships. When those lips were also emitting ectoplasm and undermining morale by revealing official secrets, they were doubly dangerous. Duncan was deemed a threat to national security. She could easily have been prosecuted under the Vagrancy Act, which covered fraudulent fortunetelling and astrology. Instead, the government deployed the sensationalist Witchcraft Act

of 1735. This legislation was not designed to try genuine witches but to expose false ones, who “pretend to exercise or use any kind of Witchcraft, Sorcery, Inchantment or Conjuration . . .” That distinction was lost on the public and the press, which wallowed in witch-hunting headlines and cartoons of hags on broomsticks. In 1944 Duncan was sentenced to nine months in Holloway. Winston

She had a long spew of cheesecloth trailing from her left nostril

Churchill himself was infuriated by all the toil and trouble, and demanded to know why money was being wasted on “this obsolete tomfoolery”. Duncan’s ludicrous conviction led to the repeal of the Witchcraft Act and its replacement by the Fraudulent Mediums Act of 1951. But Duncan remained under sur surveillance. In 1956 she was taken ill after another of her séances was raided; three weeks later, after decades spent chatting with the dead, she went off to join them.

A campaign is now under way to have Duncan pardoned, on the grounds that, like Turing, she was convicted by a public prejudice that now seems brutal and archaic. Just as Turing’s pardon was a symbolic gesture in recompense to all the other gay men prosecuted for their sexuality, so pardoning Duncan would be an acknowledgment of the wrong done to the thousands of women over the centuries who have been persecuted and prosecuted, dunked and burnt, for being atypical, mystical, or just a little kooky — victims of society’s ancient fear of black magic. The accusation of witchcraft can still be lethal in parts of the world. Pardoning Duncan the Scottish witch would be an emphatic statement that witchcraft is, and always was, poisonous bunkum. And if I am wrong, then by the time you read this I will have been turned into a frog. Duncan was not a witch. She was vaudeville, deliberately grotesque, creepy in an unfrightening way, pretending to be in touch with other worlds, but primarily motivated by commercialism and the enduring market for fake magic. With her ectoplasm, costumes and carefully confected weirdness, she perfectly embodies the true spirit of Hallowe’en.

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Friday October 31 2014 | the times

Leading articles Daily Universal Register

No Quick Fix

New research on decriminalising drugs is important, but it is not compelling enough to justify rewriting laws that are working For the first time government research has concluded there is no direct link between decriminalising drugs and increased use, nor between tougher anti-drug law enforcement and decreased use. This is an important landmark in a debate on substances that wreck lives, fuel criminality and kill more than 2,000 people a year in England and Wales alone. The research is wide-ranging. It includes studies of drug treatment strategies in use from Canada to Uruguay. It is not, however, definitive. The evidence it marshals is simply not strong enough to support a radical change in policy, not least because current British policies are working. Overall drug use by adults has fallen steadily for ten years, driven by a drop of nearly 40 per cent in the number of 16 to 59-year-olds using cannabis. The government’s priority must be to maintain this downward trend. Decriminalisation might not reverse it, but that does not make it, for now at least, the right choice for Britain. Nick Clegg seized yesterday on the release of the Home Office research to attack what he called Conservatives’ “misplaced, outdated, backwardlooking view” of how best to drive down drug use and treat those affected by it. His party wanted the study and appears to have fulminated for months

while Conservatives delayed its publication. Liberal Democrats are welcome to trumpet the research, but their outrage is overdone. It would be justified if existing anti-drug strategies ignored good ideas from abroad or systematically forced users into prisons where they were likely to reoffend. But neither is the case. Under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, the use of as well as dealing in all classified drugs, including cannabis, is a criminal offence. In practice, possession of small amounts of cannabis for personal use is liable to earn no more than a warning or fixed penalty on first and even subsequent offences. Public use of hard drugs may lead to prison, but a triage system is in place that directs users to NHS treatment programmes. There is evidence from Switzerland that treating heroin addicts with reduced doses of pure heroin under medical supervision works better than substituting methadone. This strategy is being tried in Britain too. In short, many of the alternatives to decriminalisation are already being used. Campaigners for blanket decriminalisation argue that it would remove the financial incentive for criminal gangs to sell drugs. They claim it would empty prisons of people whose only crime was to use them and redefine the war on drugs as

a healthcare issue rather than a failure of the rule of law. There is a crude logic to this argument. As long as the global trade in South American cocaine and Afghan heroin is controlled by criminals it will not be subject to the usual laws of supply and demand. Extortionate street prices set by smugglers will lubricate a supply chain that makes the cultivation of drug crops in poor countries irresistible. However, crude logic is no basis for rewriting British laws that police, courts and health professionals understand and put broadly to good use. The Home Office study looks more closely at other countries than at Britain. It relies heavily on evidence from Portugal, where decriminalisation has not led to a significant increase in drug use. Yet Portugal is not necessarily a reliable test case for the UK, and in any case, as the authors admit, “it is not clear that decriminalisation reduces the burden on the police”. The decline in drug use may owe much to a generation of young people better informed and less reckless than their parents. Even so, David Cameron is right to be wary of sending a signal that experimenting with drugs is somehow “OK”. It isn’t. Behaviour may be changing, but policies are working too. This is no time to tear them up.

Fuelling Fraud

Cameron’s aid strategy will unravel if it boosts corruption instead of fighting it Britain spends £11 billion a year on overseas aid. This is more than any other European country and more than three times as much, as a proportion of national income, than the United States. It is an honourable use of taxpayers’ money, which should also support our vital national interests. In principle it does so by stimulating trade, generating diplomatic leverage and helping the world’s poorest countries provide livelihoods for more of their own people, stemming a flow of migrant labour that Europe’s economies cannot indefinitely absorb. Devoting 0.7 per cent of GDP to overseas aid is nonetheless a serious political risk for David Cameron. He has ring-fenced the aid budget even as the armed forces, police and Whitehall have been ordered to find steep spending cuts. The danger in sending large sums to under-developed economies is that they will be misspent, funnelled to corrupt officials or will actually worsen corruption that is already the scourge of the very people Britain’s taxpayers are being asked to help. New evidence suggests this is precisely what is happening with a small but significant slice of

the aid budget. Its misuse should be acutely embarrassing for Justine Greening, who took on the development portfolio two years ago promising a new emphasis on stamping out corruption in aid projects funded by the Department for International Development (DfID). Mr Cameron should also be alarmed. Ukip has chosen to make opposition to his commitment to overseas aid a major part of its pitch to voters, who will rightly protest at any indication that aid money is being wasted. The minimum requirement of overseas aid is that it should do “no harm”. Yet according to a damning assessment of DfID projects set up specifically to target corruption, funds continued to flow to one scheme in Nepal even after it was known that citizens were bribing government officials to get access to it. In another case, involving a project to boost public trust in the Nigerian police, researchers found that police stations outside the scheme were more trusted than those taking part. More broadly, the Independent Commission for Aid Impact (Icai), the official UK aid watchdog, concludes that DfID has not “devel-

oped an approach equal to the challenge [of corruption]”; has failed to focus its efforts on the poor; and has failed to learn from its mistakes. In Nigeria the authors of the Icai document found DfID managers over-eager to accommodate “local sensitivities”. Translated, this appears to mean British aid is being too easily diverted towards the pet projects of influential local officials. There is some consolation in DfID’s preference in Nigeria for working through NGOs rather than government departments because of endemic government corruption — but in Nepal, British funds are still channelled directly to government officials despite the country’s slide down international transparency rankings. DfID spent £22 million specifically on anticorruption programmes last year. That is due to rise to £70 million next year and the real figure, taking in anti-corruption elements of the full range of the department’s work, is far higher. It is impossible to overstate the importance to the developing world of bringing corruption under control. Even so, Mr Cameron is vulnerable to the charge of sending good money after bad.

Future Shock

And be in no doubt that prediction is hard. In the 1940s the chairman of IBM famously forecast that the potential world market for computers was about five. Arthur C Clarke, the science fiction author, made a more successful prediction, at about the same time, that using a set of satellites in geostationary orbit could form a global communications system. Clarke exemplified his own principle that “a critical reading of science fiction is essential training for anyone wishing to look more than ten years ahead”. There is an allied fear that science fiction dramatises. From Frankenstein to Jurassic Park, and

Nature notes Red admiral butterflies, with their brilliant scarlet, black and white wings, are still flying about. Even as late as this, some migrants have been seen arriving on the east coast. However, most of those that can be seen now are the “children” of red admirals that flew here from southern Europe in the summer and bred here. Some of this young, British-born generation have by now, in turn, laid their own eggs. These are mostly deposited on stinging nettles, usually in large nettlebeds, and when the black and yellow caterpillars hatch out, they each make a kind of tent out of nettle leaves. A further generation of butterflies will emerge in May. Meanwhile, some of the adults that are now around may try to fly to warmer countries for the winter, many will die, and a few will hibernate here with closed wings on tree trunks. In fact red admirals can often be found in southern England in winter in all four stages of their existence — eggs, caterpillars, chrysalids and hibernating, fully formed adults. Fortunately, red admirals have been thriving in recent years. The main threat to them appears to be an increased spraying or slashing down of nettlebeds. derwent may

Birthdays today Angela Knight, pictured, chief executive of Energy UK, 64; Jon Benjamin, chief executive of the Board of Deputies of British Jews (2005-13), 50; Sanjeev Bhaskar, actor and comedian, The Kumars, 51; Sarah Brown, founder, TheirWorld charity and wife of Gordon Brown, 51; Michael Collins, astronaut on the Apollo 11 lunar mission, 84; Matt Dawson, former rugby England player, 42; Viscount Falmouth, lord-lieutenant of Cornwall (1977-94), 95; John Gunter, theatre designer, 76; Dame Zaha Hadid, architect of Guangzhou opera house, China (2003), 64; Sir Peter Jackson, film director, the Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-12), 53; Johnny Marr, guitarist, The Smiths, 51; Charles Moore, biographer of Margaret Thatcher, and editor, The Daily Telegraph (1995-2003), 58; Tom O’Connor, comedian, 75; Herman Van Rompuy, president, European Council, 67.

On this day

Science fiction authors have a record of prescience Somewhere near Saturn is a disturbance in spacetime that allows humanity to travel through a wormhole and arrive on a habitable planet in another galaxy. What could be more straightforward? Or rather, what does it mean? In our Arts section today, Lord Rees of Ludlow, the astronomer royal, subjects the plot of the new film Interstellar to scientific scrutiny, explaining what is real cosmology and what is fanciful. Science fiction is by definition a genre of the imagination. Yet it is striking how prescient many of the giants of the genre have been in their depictions of the future.

UK: Firefighters in England start a four-day strike in an ongoing dispute over pensions; the Met Office predicts the warmest Hallowe’en night since records began; the Royal Bank of Scotland presents its third-quarter statement; a new Harry Potter story by JK Rowling is published on the pottermore.com website. Belgium: Jose Manuel Barroso’s second five-year term as president of the European Commission comes to an end, with Jean-Claude Juncker of Luxembourg taking over tomorrow.

notably in Margaret Atwood’s dystopia Oryx and Crake, authors have worried about the potential for experiments to run out of control. In an age of immense advance in robotics and biotechnology, the apprehension may seem reasonable. Yet there are limits to what is scientifically possible. We know that there are no undiscovered elements with fewer than 98 protons, that a perpetual-motion machine is impossible and that there are no laws of motion waiting to be discovered. Science is founded on evidence; science fiction is the art of imagining what can be discovered that is still within the realms of the conceivable.

In 1888 pneumatic bicycle tyres were patented by John Boyd Dunlop; in 1933, the carving of the heads of four US presidents on Mount Rushmore, South Dakota, was completed; in 1951 Britain’s first zebra crossings were introduced; in 1971 a bomb damaged the Post Office Tower in London; in 2011 the global population of humans reached seven billion.

The last word “There is surely a piece of divinity in us, something that was before the elements, and owes no homage unto the sun.” Sir Thomas Browne, Religio Medici (1643).

the times | Friday October 31 2014

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Letters to the Editor

1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF Email: letters@thetimes.co.uk

We must be switched on to tackle power crisis

Better housing for disabled and elderly Sir, We write to express our concern that the government’s Housing Standards Review could reduce the number of new homes that meet the needs of disabled and older people. Accessibly designed homes can support independence, help to prevent falls, reduce length of hospital stays and delay costly moves to residential care. A night in hospital costs the NHS about £273 while a week’s residential care averages £550. The government estimates that a three-bedroom home built to its proposed specification (based on the Lifetime Homes Standard) costs just £521 more to build than its less accessible equivalent, less than one week’s bill for residential care. There is a wide consensus on the urgent need to ready ourselves for the health, housing and social care needs of our ageing population and there are already an estimated 11.6 million disabled people in Britain. Mainstream developments must deliver accessible, adaptable homes if we are to rise to this challenge. The government should seize this opportunity to establish a higher minimum design requirement. Failing to do so will seriously jeopardise the supply of the kind of homes we need at the moment we need them most. paul gamble, Habinteg, caroline abrahams, Age UK, kate henderson, TCPA, liz sayce, Disability Rights UK, gavin dunn, breeam, clare pelham, Leonard Cheshire Disability

Aussie truffles Sir, That the French are horrified about an American creation (“Gallic foodies get sniffy over truffle ketchup”, Oct 28) is no surprise. The French, noses in the air, have idealised the black truffle of Perigord. They should now watch for competition from Australia. I was at the Canberra truffle festival, and the Braidwood truffle will present a real challenge to Perigord. It is up to the knowledge and education of each of us to detect what is arrogance or naturality, but let’s enjoy these jewels of nature. antonio carluccio London SW1

Corrections and clarifications 6 We wrongly stated in early editions (Oct 30) that the Conservative party had pledged to save every worker £3,800 “a year”. This was corrected in later editions to £3,800 “over the next parliament”. We apologise for the mistake. The Times takes complaints about editorial content seriously. We are committed to abiding by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (“IPSO”) rules and regulations and the Editors’ Code of Practice that IPSO enforces. Requests for corrections or clarifications should be sent by email to feedback@thetimes.co.uk or by post to Feedback, The Times, 1 London Bridge Street, London SE1 9GF

Sir, The threat of power cuts this winter (report, Oct 29) has brought claims of underinvestment in power generating plant. That is a convenient word to obscure the inability of various governments to face up to decisions which may be unpalatable to anti-nuclear lobbyists, pro-renewable campaigners and to those politicians who can not get a perspective on risks. In the 1990s, a lengthy inquiry into the building of a new nuclear generating station at Hinkley Point was conducted, but the idea was eventually scrapped. More recently permission has been given for a new nuclear plant at Hinkley Point. But this is too late — by about ten years — to eliminate the risks of power cuts this winter. We need more enlightened government decision making than this. olaf chedzoy Bridgwater, Somerset Sir, If the UK is likely to be subjected to power cuts at times of peak demand, fingers will be pointed in all directions. Let us be in no doubt that it is the fault of politicians (of all persuasions) whose primary responsibility is the security of its citizens, but who have ducked difficult decisions, pandered to votewinning policies and neglected to maintain critical skills such as nuclear power production. Now they will inevitably resort to blaming

Saving lives at sea Sir, Those fleeing situations of utter misery by crossing the Mediterranean to the EU (report, Oct 30) do not do so with it foremost in their mind that, should their boat sink or capsize, they will be rescued by the Royal Navy. Whether we act to save such unfortunate souls from drowning will have no impact on the numbers attempting the voyage. Over this we have no control. But we do have control of our own conduct. As an island nation, we respect the sea, and feel for those in peril on it. When the RNLI goes out in rough weather to help people in difficulty, or to save them from drowning, it does not question why those people are there, and whether

on this day october 31, 1914

TURKEY AS A COMBATANT The appearance of Turkey as a new apostle in the cause of German “culture” must indefinitely extend the area of the war. So far she has confined herself to bombarding various open and defenceless Russian towns in the Black Sea, and by this initial violation of the precepts of international law has proved herself an apt pupil of the military professors of Berlin. These naval operations,

others when the lights dim. Power, much like defence, is a strategic issue whose timelines stretch far beyond the next election. The country needs a strategic approach to the security of our energy supplies. As the next general election approaches, ask your MP what their policy is — then check where you’ve put the candles. ric cheadle Yelverton, Devon Sir, It is inevitable that there will be calls for additional electricity generation capacity to be made available. It would surely be more logical to focus on what can be done immediately to reduce the demand for electricity. One of the ways this could be done would be to convert all street lights to LED lighting. People are making savings in their domestic electricity consumption by doing this; why not government too? Cash-strapped councils do not have the capital available to convert their street lights and are left to cover the excessive running costs of using oldstyle lights at a time when the government demands cost reductions. Surely the Department for Communities and Local Government, the Department for Transport and the Department of Energy & Climate Change should work together to provide the necessary finance for making this change, with the objective of the reasons for their plight are selfinflicted or part of a wider political situation. It just goes. It is shameful that we should ever question whether to save any person at sea, let alone adopt an active policy to turn our backs. john shields London SW1

Tax cuts Sir, The government of David Cameron (Opinion, Oct 30) has committed £50 billion of taxpayers money to a high-speed rail network, with a further £7 billion section under consideration, and the Conservative Mayor of London continues to push for a £40 billion taxpayer-funded airport in the Thames estuary. The undertaken without warning, are plainly just a prelude. Turkey has twelve army corps mobilized, and she is calling up further reserves. Of these dispositions on land all that need be said is to point out that they have been undertaken at the request of Germany, have been directed by Germans, and are now commanded by Germans. Turkey, in short, for the purposes of this war, has become a German province. The moderate Turkish statesmen, who foresee the ruin and extinction of their race as a governing and administrative nation, have been swept aside. The real commanders of the army corps are all German officers, and there is a considerable sprinkling of German noncommissioned officers and men throughout the Turkish forces. It would be foolish to profess any further uncertainty about the ultimate object of these ostentatious preparations. The hands that pointed the guns of the Breslau at Theodosia on Thursday were German. The German Empire

reducing electricity demand speedily and providing a quick saving to councils. The cost of implementing this suggestion is likely to be less than building a new power station. tim bentley Canterbury Sir, I read of plans to deal with the shortage of generating capacity by supplying electricity at much reduced voltages. In the 1960s, while I was serving at the submarine base at Faslane, an east/west hurricane struck central Scotland and there was no domestic power supply for several days. With the best of intentions the Scottish Electricity Board restored supplies at a muchreduced voltage. This resulted in widespread burnout of series-wound electric motors which drive domestic equipment such as freezers. When I learnt some basic electrics as part of my training as a naval marine engineer some 70 years ago I was taught that series-wound motors were known as willing horses and that the lower the voltage the harder they tried, until they burnt out. This is one reason why electricity suppliers are bound by statute to maintain voltages at a minimum level. I hope that if “brown outs” happen customers will be given sufficient warning to allow them to switch off vulnerable equipment. vice admiral sir john lea (ret’d) Hayling Island, Hants prime minister should seize the initiative in view of the ongoing concerns about the costs and benefits of HS2, and announce that such projects will only proceed if they are fully funded by the private sector. david conway Sandy, Beds Sir, The prime minister’s argument on taxation assumes that the primary moral consideration is how little government should spend. There is another, no less important, factor. We should not simply be seeing how little we can spend; we should be assessing how much we need to spend to care for our citizens and for the stranger at our gates. Where is the morality in letting the weakest go to the wall? dr paul sheppy Abingdon, Oxon is at war with Great Britain as well as with Russia. We shall be wise to expect the inevitable sequel. We are not in the least disturbed by the suggestion that Turkey as a combatant may rouse the Mahomedan world. There are tens of thousands of Mahomedans fighting for the Allies in France and in Poland today. The Turk cannot preach a Holy War when he has exchanged the fez for a Prussian Pickelhaube, and taken up the sword in defiance of his Sultan’s wishes. The Mahomedans of India have watched with sorrow and distress the process by which Turkey has yielded to Prussian intrigue and Prussian gold, and are not inclined to approve of a wild adventure against Russia and Great Britain, the two mighty Powers whose strength they have reason to know. sign up for a weekly email with extracts from the times history of the war ww1.thetimes.co.uk

Term-time holidays Sir, I am a recently retired teacher. I objected to parents taking their children out of my lessons because they were usually the same parents who demanded that I then found the time to teach their child the material missed. I accept that some subjects lend themselves to textbooks but the teaching and learning of poetry, for instance, is much better explored alongside an English specialist. The 21st-century parent has bought into the concept of entitlement and not only refuses to do without a holiday, even if it is during term time, but, I found, was also unhappy to be inconvenienced by having to wait to collect their child after additional lessons. Many parents suddenly decided that additional lessons were not required after all. chris johnston Tynemouth, Northumberland

Charity salaries Sir, The argument that charities have to pay large salaries in order to attract the right quality of staff (report, Oct 28 & letters, Oct 30) is undermined by one example; Médecins sans Frontières (UK) (MSF). No one could question the effectiveness and efficiency of this charity. It is invariably first on the ground in any crisis and is able to call on a large group of qualified volunteers. Despite this, MSF’s constitution prohibits it paying any employee more than three times the lowest-paid employee, which currently means that no one earns over £80,000. peter rivière Charlbury, Oxon

Lock but no key Sir, When visiting a clients’ farm recently, I managed to lock my “smart” keys in the back of my car (report, Oct 27). As the spare set were more than 100 miles away at home, I took the advice of the farm manager and rang my wife and asked her to press the unlock button of the spare set and hold it close to her mobile. At the farm manager’s instruction, I pointed my mobile to the unobtainable set in clear view on the rear parcel shelf of the car and, hey presto, the car locks unfastened. It cost me a bottle of whisky in grateful thanks to the farm manager who was not only knowledgeable in matters relating to farming but also in the mysteries of wireless technology. t matthew horton Bromsgrove, Worcs

Porky pies? Sir, Lindsey Bareham’s porky pie (Dinner tonight, Oct 30) should have been called “a hogger’s pie”. As a shepherd looks after sheep, a hogger looks after pigs. At one time this was listed in the Highway Code and, in the early 1950s, my mother failed her driving test because she didn’t know what a person who led pigs was called. pat rylatt Lytham St Annes, Lancs

Accent on success Sir, So Camilla Parker Bowles’s son was threatened with a comprehensive school if he failed to study (report, Oct 28). My mother threatened me and my siblings, proud Lancastrians, with elocution lessons. By ’eck, it worked. barbara elliott Headmistress, Channing School London N6

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Friday October 31 2014 | the times

World

Street battles force closure of Jerusalem’s holiest site Israel

Gregg Carlstrom Jerusalem

Israel closed Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site yesterday after street clashes and shootings threatened to pitch the country into a new round of violence between Palestinians and Jews. Weeks of simmering tension boiled over when Israeli police killed a Palestinian man suspected of trying to assassinate a right-wing Jewish activist. Mutaz Hijazi, 32, was shot dead during an attempted pre-dawn arrest. Police said that he started shooting at them from the roof of his home in the Abu Tor neighbourhood — but neighbours dispute this. Clashes raged in east Jerusalem, underlining how on edge the city has become since the summer. One key source of contention is the al-Aqsa mosque complex, which includes sites holy to Muslims and Jews alike and to which some Jewish groups are pressing to extend Jewish access. Israeli authorities took the rare step yesterday of closing access to the compound, known as Temple Mount to Jews and the Noble Sanctuary to Muslims. The last time it was closed was after Ariel Sharon visited there in 2000 while the leader of the Israeli opposition, which sparked the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising. Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, called the closure a declaration of war. The US urged its immediate re-opening. Yesterday’s violence was sparked by the attempted shooting on Wednesday night of Yehuda Glick, an activist who works with a group called the Temple Mount Faithful to build a Jewish temple on the al-Aqsa compound. The plateau is Judaism’s holiest site, believed to be the location of the biblical temples, and also houses the al-Aqsa mosque, the third-most important shrine in Islam after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia. Mr Glick had received death threats

The fatal shooting of a Palestinian in east Jerusalem set off hours of clashes

Swedes back Palestine Israel recalled its ambassador to Sweden yesterday after it officially recognised the state of Palestine (David Charter writes). Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, hailed Stockholm’s decision as “brave and historic” and called on other countries to follow suit, but Israel condemned the move as unhelpful, saying it “does not contribute to a return to peace negotiations”. Margot Wallström, the Swedish foreign minister, said: “We are not picking sides. We are choosing the side of the peace process.” The move brings to eight the number of European Union countries to have recognised the state of Palestine. British MPs voted by 274 to 12 this month to do the same, but the result was not binding on the government.

several times before, according to police. Supporters reacted by threatening to demonstrate on Temple Mount. “The most important response to this despicable act is to open the Temple Mount to Jews now,” said Moshe Feiglin, a deputy Knesset speaker who witnessed the attack. Police shut the complex to avoid confrontations. A spokesman said that the site would open for Friday prayers today, but only for men over the age of 50 and women. “The closure will be evaluated on a daily basis,” Micky Rosenfeld, a police spokesman, said. Israeli police said that Mr Hijazi was behind the attack on Mr Glick. “The suspect opened fire, and police returned fire,” Mr Rosenfeld said. “We have very clear indications from the evidence at the crime scene that he was armed.” Police did not allow reporters to enter the home, but bloodstains and bullet holes were visible on the roof

hours later. Residents of Abu Tor disputed the official version, saying that the police fired first, and that security forces fired non-lethal rounds at neighbours when they tried to leave their houses to investigate. “The police came into the neighbourhood, dozens of them, and [Hijazi] ran to the roof of the building,” said Mohammed Shwayt, who lives in the same street. “They started shooting him almost immediately.” The Palestinian Prisoners Club, an advocacy group, said that Mr Hijazi had spent more than 11 years in Israeli jails before his release in 2012. Jerusalem has been on edge since July, when a Palestinian teenager was abducted and burnt alive in revenge for the murder of three Jewish teenagers in the West Bank. Riots have continued almost every night in the east of the city, which was occupied by Israel in 1967; Palestinians armed with stones and firebombs routinely attack buses and trains. Last week a Palestinian resident of Silwan, next to Abu Tor, drove his car into a crowd disembarking from the city’s light rail, killing two people, including a three-month-old baby. He was also killed during a police raid. Mr Hijazi’s shooting set off hours of clashes between police and stonethrowing youths. The neighbourhood was blanketed in tear gas for hours, and a stray canister ignited a delivery van. This week Binyamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, promised to deploy an additional 1,000 police to stop the unrest. “We cannot tolerate the existence of terrorism in the city. We must act forcefully and without hesitation against the perpetrators,” President Rivlin said. So far, though, the violence has shown no signs of ending, despite more than 700 arrests in the city since July. Palestinian residents of east Jerusalem say they are angry about a range of provocations, from the summer war in Gaza to the recent arrival of dozens of Jewish settlers in Silwan.

Revealed: the Navy Seal who shot bin Laden United States

Will Pavia New York

After three years of speculation and shadowy declarations from anonymous sources, the Navy Seal commando who claims to have killed Osama bin Laden plans to identify himself in an interview to be screened over two days next month. The Fox News Channel trumpeted the scoop in a statement, promising that the commando would discuss confronting bin Laden on the third floor of his compound in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad and would describe “the terrorist leader’s final moments as well as what happened when he took his final breath”. The interview will almost certainly breach the confidentiality rules that ban members of the special forces from discussing operational details of past

missions. Previous insider accounts have discussed Operation Neptune Spear in great detail without identifying the figure who has become known as “the Shooter”. The first of these, published by The New Yorker three months after the successful operation to kill America’s most wanted man, claimed that after the raid in May 2011, when members of Seal Team 6 were congratulated by President Obama, “he never asked who fired the kill shot, and the Seals never volunteered to tell him”. Such reticence soon faded. A year later a former member of the team wrote an anonymous account of the operation, declaring that it was “time to set the record straight about one of the most important missions in US military history”. He gave his colleagues pseudonyms, though he himself was soon identified

in media reports as Matt Bissonnette, who lived in Alaska. Months later Esquire published an interview with an anonymous veteran who claimed to be “the Shooter” and discussed his role in the mission in great detail. To motivate himself for the mission, he recalled repeating a quote from a speech by George W Bush in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 — “Freedom itself was attacked this morning by a faceless coward and freedom will be defended” — and recounted the moment he came face to face with the al-Qaeda leader. “I shot him two times in the forehead. Bap! Bap! The second time as he’s going down,” he said. The interview caused controversy, in part because the former Seal revealed that he was struggling to get treatment for health problems. “Burnt out” after 16 years of service, he said he did not

qualify for a pension and that the claim he had made for disability benefits remained unresolved. In the wake of the article, he had a meeting with members of a Senate committee who were investigating a backlog in the payment of benefits to wounded veterans. Fox News said that in the interview next month, besides identifying himself as the man who pulled the trigger, the former Seal would discuss a ceremony in which he handed over the shirt he wore during the mission to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. The commando’s revelations would appear to lay him open to prosecution. However, neither the Justice Department nor the Pentagon took action over previous accounts of the mission, including a book published in 2012 by Bissonnette under a pseudonym. A spokeswoman for the Pentagon did not respond to requests for comment.

An aviation group trying to solve the

Earhart plane wreckage clue found on atoll

small metal panel found on an uninhabited Pacific atoll belongs to the aircraft that Amelia Earhart was flying when she vanished 77 years ago, it was claimed yesterday. The riveted aluminium plate may be the first wreckage uncovered since the American aviator’s disappearance in 1937 while attempting to become the first woman to fly around the world. She was an accomplished flyer who in 1932 became the first woman to make a solo flight across the Atlantic. Her exploits brought her global fame before her disappearance at the age of 39. The roughly 3ft sq battered

the times | Friday October 31 2014

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Polanski arrest warrant rebuffed by Poland Page 25

GETTY IMAGES

‘I kissed my daughter’s picture and prayed: I knew we would die’ Survivors of an Iraqi massacre describe how hundreds were lined up by a ravine and shot, writes Tom Coghlan

mystery of Amelia Earhart, above, who disappeared in 1937, say debris found on a Pacific island, left, was from her plane

metal panel was found on a beach in 1991 by a group of American aviation enthusiasts searching for Earhart’s twin-engine Lockheed Electra on Gardner Island, now renamed Nikumaroro, part of the Phoenix Islands group in the central Pacific. Nikumaroro is 340 miles (550km) from her intended destination, Howland Island. The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery, the Pennsylvania-based group that found the panel and has led the search, said after early tests that it was from an American aircraft, but it could not match the size and rivet patterns to any parts of surviving Lockheed Electra aircraft similar to Earhart’s plane. Richard Gillespie, the director of the group’s Amelia Earhart project, said: “We knew it was part of an airplane and we suspected it was part of Earhart’s airplane, but there’s no place it matches.” It was only much more recently

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

Howland Island

Nikumaroro Island AUSTRALIA

NEW ZEALAND 2,000 miles

that the researchers realised that Earhart’s aircraft had been modified just before she began her around-the-world attempt, with a fuselage window having been covered over with an aluminum panel. They have now established that the panel found on Nikumaroro Island matched the dimensions and

rivet pattern that would have been needed to cover the window on Earhart’s aircraft. “The patch was as unique to her particular plane as a fingerprint is to an individual,” Mr Gillespie said. The group plans to return to Nukumaroro next year with a remote operated underwater search vehicle to search for more remains of the aircraft. Contractors hired by the group in 2012 captured sonar images off the west of the island that appear to match the size and shape of the lost Lockheed Electra. An unresolved question is whether Earhart and Fred Noonan, her navigator, survived if they did ditch their plane near Nikumaroro. In 1940, Gerald Gallagher, a British colonial officer and pilot, found a skeleton that he believed to be that of a woman on the island under a tree, near an old sextant box. He was ordered to send the remains to Fiji. They were lost long ago.

Gang arrested for finding and selling dead brides Page 28

Islamic State militants have massacred up to 220 Sunni tribesmen in Iraq after promising the men safe passage if they gave themselves up. The men from the Albu Nimr tribe surrendered in the town of Hit, which fell to Islamic State (Isis) this month. Members of the tribe had previously supported the Iraqi government and US forces as part of the Sunni Awakening movement against Isis’s predecessor, al-Qaeda in Iraq, in 2006. Tribal leaders reported that Isis said that it would not harm the men after ordering them to travel to Hit, 80 miles west of Baghdad. Sheikh Ghazi al-Ghaoud, the Baghdad-based head of the tribe, said that his forces had been under siege for a month and had received no response to their pleas for help. He told Iraqi television that they would even have accepted assistance from Israel. America’s top general last night urged Baghdad to arm Sunni tribes who were willing to fight Isis. General Martin Dempsey also called for the US to expand its involvement in Iraq by deploying military advisers to Anbar. None of the 600 US advisers already deployed is with a combat unit. Isis militants posted photographs of the bodies of 46 men who had been bound and shot in the head in Hit. Another 20 were reported to have been killed near by and a further 150 bodies were found in two mass graves near Ramadi yesterday. Isis, an ultra-extremist Sunni group, has meted out savage punishment to fellow Sunnis who oppose it. In August as many as 700 members of the alSha’aitat tribe were reported killed near Deir Ezzor in Syria. Yesterday’s massacre came as Human Rights Watch issued a report detailing the killing of more than 600 Shia prisoners after Isis stormed the Iraqi city of Mosul in June. Fifteen survivors described how the men were each given a number and forced to call it out as they knelt on the edge of a 4mdeep ravine. Survivors near the end of the line heard numbers as high as 680. “Before they started shooting, I managed to kiss the men on each side of me because we knew we were going to die,” said one prisoner identified only as HK. “After we said goodbye to each other, I took my daughter’s picture and kissed it and I prayed to God to save me for her, because I have no one else [to take care of her].” The men, who carried scars of bullet wounds and burns, had been identified as Shia Muslims and separated from other inmates in the Badoush prison. Before Isis fighters opened fire, they were robbed of valuables. “They started by saying, ‘Each person raise his hand and say his number,’” said another survivor, AS. “I was number 43.

I heard them say ‘615’.” Prisoners toppled forward and rolled into the ravine as they were shot. Survivors described their desperate attempts to play dead. “I heard the footsteps of the Isis guy, he was standing over me and he shot the man lying next to me in the head,” said one survivor, AO. “He shot me, too, but the bullet hit my forearm. I felt something coming under me. It was warm. It was the blood of my friend Haider. I took some of that blood and put it on my face and head so that if they came back they would think I am dead.” Isis fighters then set fire to undergrowth around the bodies and used burning branches to see if any were still playing dead. About 30 survivors later trekked through the desert towards Kurdishheld territory. Many died en route, while others drank their own urine to survive the desert heat.

Japan’s jihadis try to join Isis

hey are the world’s least likely jihadis; without ideological conviction or ethnic affiliation, or even military experience — yet a small number of Japanese men have tried to join the war in Syria and Iraq (Richard Lloyd Parry writes). Japanese police have questioned two men recently on suspicion of plotting to make the 5,500-mile journey from Tokyo to sign up with Islamic State. Another Japanese man, Haruna Yukawa, 42, below, is an Isis prisoner, after fighting alongside Syrian rebels before being captured in August. At least two others have returned safely from stints with the Free Syrian Army. All appear to have been motivated by boredom and a naive yearning for adventure. The two questioned recently, one a 23-year-old convenience store worker, the other a 26-year-old student at Hokkaido university, were planning to travel to Syria together in August. The first man cancelled because his mother would not let him go; the second was arrested the day before he was due to leave. Both had responded to a strange advertisement in a Tokyo bookshop. “Place of work: Syria,” it read. “Apply within.” They were then put in touch with Ko Nakata, 54, a former university professor with ties to Isis.

Friday October 31 2014 | the times

World

Net call A mosquito net salesman waits for buyers in Peshawar. Hundreds die of dengue fever in Pakistan every year

Union basher with eyes on 2016 struggles for survival US Midterm Elections the battle for capitol hill Devika Bhat Washington

It is the race being anxiously watched by Republicans and Democrats alike: the conservative Tea Party-endorsed governor fighting a challenge from a pro-choice, pro-minimum wage bicycle company executive. In a sea of closely fought elections, Scott Walker’s battle to stay in the governor’s mansion in Wisconsin has eclipsed all other gubernatorial races. At stake is Mr Walker’s ambition to move into an even bigger white building 900 miles away — one currently occupied by Barack Obama. As the only potential 2016 Republican candidate facing a serious election challenge this year, Wisconsin’s governor has become a key target for Democrats. A defeat next week would all but end his hopes of making a run for the White House in two years’ time. Moreover, a win for Mary Burke, the Democratic challenger, would be sweet revenge after Mr Walker quashed a trade union-led attempt to

remove him from office in 2012. The 46-year-old became the only governor in US history to survive a recall election, triggered when he imposed limits on collective bargaining rights for Wisconsin’s government workers. His win, perceived as a decisive victory over big labour, made Mr Walker a poster boy for conservatives and earned him plaudits in the Tea Party — which would put in him in good stead for the 2016 presidential race. He has made his fight with the unions a centrepiece of his campaign this year. “The American dream isn’t Minnesota 5.5% 4.1% Unemployment (Sept 2014)

Wisconsin 2.8% 1.7% Economic growth (2013)

about dependency on the government . . . you have equal opportunity, but the outcome is up to you,” his campaign website states. It further adds: “Governor Walker . . . saved state and local taxpayers more than $3 billion and put the power back into the hands of the taxpayers to control their government.” Yet developments across the border in Minnesota have put Mr Walker’s claims under the spotlight. In contrast to Wisconsin, Minnesota elected a Democratic governor in 2010 who came into office pledging to

raise taxes for the rich and invest in public education. Mark Dayton further cemented his reputation as an unashamed liberal by signing bills supporting same-sex marriage and a guaranteed minimum wage. Despite a Republican clamour that Mr Dayton’s policies would spell disaster, Minnesota has outperformed its neighbour on several measures. It boasts a higher per-capita income and a lower unemployment rate. In Wisconsin, Mr Walker has fallen short on his promise to create 250,000 jobs by the end of his first term, with the estimated number currently at around 100,000. The Wisconsin governor says such figures do not paint the full picture, insisting he has rebuilt a state that lost 133,000 jobs in the four years before he took office. But the economic disparity has been gleefully seized upon by his opponents, including President Obama who flew in to boost support for Ms Burke this week. “Wisconsin lags the rest of the country when it comes to job growth. So the country as a whole is doing better; Wisconsin is not doing so good,” Mr Obama said at a Milwaukee rally. “You have a chance to choose a governor who doesn’t put political ideology first.” He added that Ms Burke’s experience as an executive for Trek Bicycle Corporation made her the ideal person to boost the economy.

Ebola nurse defies rules with bike ride United States

Will Pavia New York

The nurse at the centre of a row over how to protect Americans from ebola left her house yesterday and rode her bicycle through the woods of northern Maine, in defiance of attempts to quarantine her at home. The short ride was another challenge to the state governors who have sought to confine Kaci Hickox, 33, since she returned from a stint volunteering for Doctors Without Borders at an ebola clinic in Sierra Leone. In New Jersey, where Ms Hickox,

landed on Friday, she was quarantined for three nights under a policy adopted by the governor and his New York counterpart, who say that federal guidelines and the advice of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention do not protect the public. After testing negative for the virus she was flown to Maine on a private flight. Police were stationed at her home outside Fort Kent to monitor her movements, while Paul LePage, the state governor, sought a court order to confine her for “her protection and the health of the community”. Ms Hickox retained a lawyer and

threatened to sue if she was forcibly quarantined. She flouted efforts to keep her indoors, shaking hands with a reporter and setting off on her bike with her boyfriend yesterday. Mr LePage appeared to soften his stance, saying that he merely wished to make her take a test. “This could be resolved today,” he told ABC News. “She has been exposed and she’s not co-operative.” Ms Hickox has said her civil rights are being violated for reasons that are “not science based” and that she is seeking to combat misinformation about how the virus is transmitted.

the times | Friday October 31 2014

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World

Polanski questioned on Cracow film set over sex claim David Charter Berlin

Poland rebuffed a US arrest warrant for Roman Polanski yesterday after the Oscar-winning director was questioned by prosecutors in Cracow and released over an unlawful sex case dating back to 1977. His lawyers said that the decision by prosecutors to take no action meant that Polanski, who was born to Polish parents but lives in France, was now free to travel back and forth to Poland. In an interview with Polish television, Polanski said he hoped that the question of whether Poland would extradite him had now been settled “once and for all”. He would return to Poland for an extended period starting early next year, to work on a film and also to “show

Poland, which they barely know, to my growing children”, he told Tvn24. The Polish authorities said that they had not yet received an extradition request from the US, but hinted that they were unlikely to comply. Senior Polish politicians suggested that the director Samantha Geimer was 13 at the time of the unlawful sex

of Tess, Chinatown and The Pianist would never be extradited by prosecutors in the city, where he spent his boyhood avoiding capture by the Nazis. Under Polish law, a US request for extradition would have to be assessed by a

court and the decision could be overruled by the justice minister. Polanski, 81, made a plea-bargain in which he admitted unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl after a drug-fuelled photoshoot at the home of the actor Jack Nicholson in Los Angeles. He fled the US in 1978 before being sentenced and has been pursued by Californian prosecutors ever since. He was arrested on a US warrant in Switzerland in 2009, spending two months in jail and eight months under house arrest before his extradition was refused. Polanski has lived in Paris since his flight from American justice. France has no extradition arrangement with the US but Poland does, which could technically lead to the director being deported. “Roman Polanski said that he would comply with all requests made by pros-

ecutors in this case and provided his address,” a spokesman for the Polish justice ministry, Mateusz Martyniuk, said. “Prosecutors therefore decided not to arrest him in connection with a possible US extradition request.” The director presented himself at the district prosecutor’s office in Cracow to be questioned, he added. In 2010, the Polish prosecutor-general said that Polanski could not be extradited from the country because under Polish law too much time had passed since the offences. Mr Martyniuk said, however, that his extradition was still possible because “the statute of limitations does not apply to US requests”. The US arrest warrant was issued when Polanski travelled to Warsaw for the opening of a Jewish museum on Tuesday, the Polish government con-

firmed. It was initially rejected because it was not written in Polish, allowing him time to return to Cracow before the translation arrived. Polanski said in the summer that he wanted to shoot a film about the Dreyfus affair on location in Poland on the condition that he would not face extradition. Jerzy Stachowicz, his lawyer, said in July: “Roman Polanski has decided to live in Crakow. He has taken permanent residence in the city and leased an apartment.” Last year, his victim, Samantha Geimer, née Gailey, published her account of what happened in her memoir The Girl: A Life in the Shadow of Roman Polanski. She is now 51 and a mother of three, and says that she has forgiven him. “My family never asked that Polanski be punished. We just wanted the legal machine to stop,” she said.

Magical find behind the flock wallpaper

couple who bought and restored an old palace in Palermo, Sicily, have stumbled on a secret room covered in Arabic script and symbols that experts have said is a unique example of Middle Eastern sorcery (Tom Kington writes). Giuseppe Cadili, 54, and Valeria Giarusso, 33, made the discovery, dated to the middle of the 19th century, after scraping off five layers of paint. Academics from the University of Bonn have said the script was the work of someone practised in Middle Eastern magic. “The aim was to imprison magic forces and stop them fleeing the room,” Chiara Riminucci-Heine, one of the academics, said. The palazzo — one of many abandoned in

Palermo after the Second World War — was owned in the 1850s by the Duke of Montalbo. Dr Riminucci-Heine said the room was unlike the oriental rooms fashionable at the time as the script contained one phrase repeatedly daubed across the walls, windows and doors, suggesting a spell. The calligraphy was not decorative, but plain and practical, she added. Although the phrase has not been deciphered, Serjun Karam, an Arabist, discovered that it contained elements of the ancient Syriac language as well as Arabic. “Islamic magic is strongly influenced by Jewish and Syriac elements,” Dr RiminucciHeine said. “The repeated script on all the walls is a unique example in the world of the Islamic occult.”

Terrier’s tale helps Germany to laugh at Nazi past Germany

David Charter Berlin

In one recent work, Adolf Hitler reappeared in modern day Berlin as an internet sensation. Now, in the latest popular book about the Nazi leader, his fox terrier has presented an intimate portrait of the Führer’s final years. Amid increasing signs that Germans are becoming comfortable with laughing at Hitler, Sirius — a novel by the pseudonymous author, Jonathan Crown — is being translated into English after creating a stir at home with its approach to life in the Third Reich on four paws. It follows Er ist wieder da (He’s back), a novel by Timur Vermes, which became a bestseller with its story of Hitler turning up in 2011 and becoming an internet sensation through a series of rants on YouTube. The books indicate that a more relaxed attitude is developing in Germany towards Nazi satire, nearly 70 years after the Holocaust. Sirius is narrated by Crown’s canine hero, who is first owned by a Jewish

family under a different name, Levy. The dog attends pool parties with stars such as Fred Astaire after his owners flee to Hollywood to escape the Holocaust. However, a cruel twist of fate sends him back to Germany, where he ends up on the lap of Hitler. He then becomes a Nazi hero after he moves the briefcase containing Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg’s bomb during a meeting at Hitler’s Wolf’s Lair headquarters, saving his new master’s life. It may not sound particularly funny to non-German ears, but its gentle sense of humour has been praised. “The story of how Sirius rises in Hollywood to become a film star and then a few years later Hitler’s lap dog is a miraculous, wonderful and very funny story,” said Christine Westermann, a well-known critic for Westdeutscher Rundfunk television. “It is a story of incredible lightness and great joy, despite the historical background of human tragedy.” The story was inspired by Hitler’s fondness for dogs. As a

Sirius, a new book inspired by Hitler’s love of dogs, is to be published in English

soldier during the First World War, he acquired a terrier named Fuchsl, or Foxy, and was said to be devastated when the dog was reportedly stolen from him on a train. During the Second World War, a German shepherd called Blondi was his companion, until he had his doctor test a cyanide pill on her before his own suicide. Crown was yesterday unmasked as a nom de plume for Christian Kämmerling, 61, a former magazine editor for Süddeutsche Zeitung. He lost his job after it emerged that a reporter had made up interviews with several celebrities. 6 A lorry driver who fired 762 shots from his cab at fellow motorists across Europe was jailed for ten-and-a-half years yesterday. Michael Harry K, 58, was found guilty at Würzburg district court of four counts of attempted murder, grievous bodily harm and dangerous behaviour. In one attack, one woman was left critically injured by a bullet in the neck.

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Friday October 31 2014 | the times

World

Migrants drown as EU stalls on rescue Italy

Tom Kington Rome

Twenty migrants were feared drowned in the Mediterranean yesterday as a row continued over planned cutbacks to efforts to safeguard the thousands of people attempting the perilous sea crossing from Africa to Italy each week. Two Italian coastguard vessels were searching yesterday for survivors after reports that migrants had been lost overboard, in Libyan waters, after setting sail in a crowded rubber dinghy. The search started after an Italian navy helicopter spotted the listing vessel. “We picked up 93 migrants from the dinghy, which was partially inflated and barely floating,” a coastguard spokesman said. “But passengers told us there had been 113 on board when it left Libya, suggesting that 20 were lost at sea. A second coastguard vessel arrived and we searched all night, but no bodies were found.” The Italian government is due to halt a year-long navy mission tomorrow. Dubbed Mare Nostrum, it has brought at least 145,000 migrants safely to shore this year. Angelino Alfano, the interior minister, has said that the operation, which costs €9 million (£7 million) a month to run, will be replaced by an EU-led scheme, but Brussels has said that it will do no more than send vessels to patrol 30 miles out from the Italian coastline. Carlotta Sami, a UN spokeswoman,

said that rescue efforts of the type carried out yesterday would no longer occur if the Italian navy operation was scrapped, and an unknown number of migrants would perish as a result. “Most of the rescues happen more than 30 miles from the shore, so there will be shipwrecks we just won’t know about,” she said. At least 3,300 migrants have drowned this year in the Mediterranean, according to UN figures. Confusion abounds over what will happen tomorrow, with one Italian navy official saying that the 30 ships, drones and submarines involved had not received orders from the Italian government about halting the operation. “I was on board a navy ship yesterday and the commander said he would continue to save migrants,” Ms Sami added. Britain is sending one representative to join the EU-led effort. James Brokenshire, the immigration minister, said yesterday: “This operation is not designed to replace Mare Nostrum but will instead patrol close to EU borders.” Search-and-rescue operationswere “matters for member states individually in respect of their territorial waters and therefore it is ultimately a decision for Italy as to how it conducts its search and rescue”. In the House of Lords yesterday, Baroness Smith of Basildon, the shadow home office minister, said: “Leaving migrants to drown is shocking and inhumane. It is not the British way.”

ISSOUF SANOGO / AFP / GETTY IMAGES

More than 1,500 demonstrators ransacked parliament in a protest against plans to allow the president to extend his rule

Army takes control after Burkina Faso chaos Burkina Faso

Jerome Starkey Africa Correspondent

The army chief of Burkina Faso announced last night that he had dissolved the government and parliament after a day of violent protests against the West African country’s ruler. Thick black smoke billowed over the capital Ouagadougou as thousands of people surged through the capital, setting fire to the parliament, the city hall and the ruling party’s headquarters to protest against the president’s plans to extend his 27-year rule. At least three people were shot dead

and several were wounded when protesters tried to storm the house of the president’s brother, as police fired tear gas from a helicopter. MPs were due to vote yesterday on a change to the constitution that would have allowed President Compaoré to stay in office. The former minister of state seized power in a coup in 1987, during which Thomas Sankara, his predecessor, was killed. An ally of the West, he was elected president in 1991, and again in 1998, but a change to the constitution in 2000 limited the country’s presidency to two five-year terms. He won two further

terms after the change in the law and was due to step down next year. In response to the riots, the army imposed a curfew and announced an interim government. “A return to the constitutional order is expected in no more than 12 months,” General Honoré Traore, the army chief, said. France has called for an end to the violence. “We call for a return to calm and ask all parties to show restraint,” the French Foreign Ministry said. The former French colony is still home to at least 3,600 French citizens. It gained independence in 1960, but has suffered a series of military coups.

the times | Friday October 31 2014

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Modi bans first-class travel for staff and targets tax dodgers India

Robin Pagnamenta Mumbai

The Indian government has produced a list of 627 of its nationals who have money held in Swiss bank accounts, amid an intensifying crackdown on corruption and tax evasion. The names were given to the Supreme Court in a sealed envelope on Wednesday, as public anger grows over claims that hundreds of billions of pounds of “black money” has been spirited out of the country. The tax investigation coincides with an order from Narendra Modi yesterday that officials stop flying first class, and start paying for their wives’ air fares; part of the prime minister’s austerity drive designed to trim the nation’s deficit. After a decade of powerful economic growth, much of the cash now sitting in tax havens such as Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Mauritius and the British Virgin Islands is thought to be the proceeds of India’s thriving underground economy. Vast sums of undeclared and untaxed income are siphoned offshore or recycled into Indian property and other investments, some of which is used to fund political parties. “Whoever has looted this country will be caught and punished,” said Arijit Pasayat, one of two retired judges leading the investigation. Mr Modi placed the retrieval of “black money” at the core of his election campaign. His promise to curb endemic corruption struck a deep chord with millions of Indians, 800 million of whom live on little more than £1 a day, and helped to propel him to a landslide election victory in May. The 627 names are those of Indian account holders at HSBC in Geneva. The Supreme Narendra Modi vows to fight corruption

Court is expected to issue a detailed report by March. So far, only a handful of names of relatively unknown businessmen have emerged, although the Indian media have swirled with speculation about which prominent business leaders or politicians may be on the list. Some critics have questioned the value of the list, which dates to 2006. It was given to India in 2011 by the French government during its own inquiries about tax evasion, but the previous administration in Delhi took no action. The list was originally stolen by an employee of HSBC in Geneva, and is believed to offer only fragmentary details of the true scale of Indian money stashed abroad. “These are mostly small fry,” said BB Bhattacharya, an economist at Jawaharlal Nehru university in Delhi. “The bigger people don’t like to keep money at zero interest in Swiss banks. They reinvest their money in the Indian stock market via Mauritius, or put it in real estate.” He said that the effort to investigate the names was “more symbolic” than a serious attempt to repatriate black money. “It was a big election issue, so the government has to be seen to do something,” he said, adding that little progress had been made on the issue, despite Mr Modi’s promise to recover the money within 100 days of taking power. Others have pointed out that many of the accounts may be perfectly legitimate, while about half are thought to belong to non-resident Indians who are not subject to Indian income tax. The government has said that it will establish whether the accounts are legal before publishing the names. The Swiss Bankers’ Association claims that Indian citizens hold no more than £1.2 billion in accounts in the country directly. Much of their substantial offshore wealth is believ believed to be channelled through trusts and other arm’s-length arrangements.

Iran claims foreign agents tried to sabotage reactor Iran

Hugh Tomlinson

Iran claims to have foiled a sabotage attempt by foreign agents that apparently targeted a heavy water reactor described as Tehran’s back-up plan for developing an atomic bomb. Iran’s only known heavy water reactor is being built near the city of Arak, 150 miles southwest of Tehran. When complete, the facility could be used to extract weapons-grade plutonium. Iran’s enemies are convinced that the reactor was developed alongside the country’s two uranium enrichment plants as an alternative to building atomic weapons. The Arak reactor remains a sticking point in negotiations between Iran and six world powers aimed at finding a permanent solution to the crisis over the country’s nuclear ambitions. Iran’s nuclear sites have been subjected to a number of sabotage attempts.

Asghar Zarean, the head of security for the disputed nuclear programme, claimed last month that foreign agents had sought to recruit the Islamic republic’s nuclear experts and introduce faulty components into the supply chain for the atomic sites. A Ukrainian man working at the civil power station near Bushehr was arrested. Last year Iran arrested four men for attempting to sabotage one of the nuclear facilities. It later emerged that they were trying to steal scrap metal. In 2010 the Stuxnet computer virus inflicted severe damage on the Natanz and Bushehr plants, destroying centrifuges and stealing data. The attack, for which Israel was blamed, prompted Iran to declare it was at “electronic war”. The latest incident comes as diplomats from Iran and the six countries, including Britain, remain locked in talks in Vienna seeking a permanent solution to the nuclear crisis before a self-imposed deadline of November 24.

World CHINA DAILY / REUTERS

Water birth China’s first white whale calf to be born in captivity during its first moments at a Changsha aquarium in Hunan

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Friday October 31 2014 | the times

World

For better, for worse: corpse brides traded China

Leo Lewis Beijing

Eleven men in rural China have been arrested for abducting a woman and selling her into a joyless marriage with a lonely bachelor. At the time of their illicit betrothal, both bride and groom had been dead for three months. The macabre enterprise was brought to light during a raid on a gang of electric bicycle thieves. Under interrogation, the gang members confessed that they had also been engaged in the recruitment and sale of dead women. Each faces three years in prison for the crimes of stealing and insulting a corpse. The case, in Heze city, Shandong province, has highlighted a lucrative market in illegally traded corpses, which are in demand because of an ancient rural superstition. A fresh cadaver, secretly exhumed soon after death, usually sells for about 20,000 yuan (£2,000). Older bodies are priced according to the extent of decomposition; by the time a prospective marriage candidate has corroded into a skeleton, he or she is effectively worthless. The case in Heze involved a threemonth-old corpse, for which the family was happy to pay 38,000 yuan. “Years-old carcasses are not worth a jot, but the recently dead, like this one we sold, are valuable,” the chief suspect, whose family name was given as Wang, told police. The thefts and subsequent marriages

are organised by families who have suffered the loss of an unmarried relative. Local belief holds that it is vital to the prosperity of the surviving family to spare the dead from an afterlife without a spouse. Marriage to another dead person is the only solution and, after a brief, unresponsive marriage ceremony, the bride or groom is entombed with their new partner. The existence of China’s “ghost marriage” market is widely known, but few cases make it to court. Apart from the very substantial risks involved in secretly opening two graves, the country has been moving towards a system where burial of the dead is all but eradicated. Cremation is the only legal method in most parts of the country, and Beijing has said that it wants all burials to end by 2020. Within the contraband corpse market, there are dishonest brokers. Last year, a gang in Shanxi province was found to have faked the medical records of ten corpse brides in an effort to make them appear younger and better preserved. Marriage is not the only reason corpses are stolen in China, however. In June, a villager from Guangxi province reported the theft of his grandfather’s body, and police officers were sent to investigate. They found that the cadaver had been pilfered to order by a corrupt local official — who was attempting to meet a quota for cremations in his district.

LINTAO ZHANG / GETTY IMAGES

Height of fashion A model on the runway during the Toray Liu Wei Collection show at Beijing fashion week, which features work from 66 international designers

Surfer bitten after stepping on shark head An Australian surfer suffered deep puncture wounds when he was mauled by a shark after stepping on its head (Tony Bonnici writes). Ryan Hunt, 20, was surfing with friends at Wallabi Point, 160 miles (260km) north of Sydney, at the time. He told reporters that he had jumped off his board into waist-high water in the moments before the attack. “I caught a wave in, got off, and then stood on a shark’s head,” he said. “I thought it was a rock at first and then it latched on to my foot.” He said he was able to kick the shark off with his right foot but it bit him again. He kicked it a second time before it swam between his legs and away. He said the water was too murky for him to tell what type of shark it was, but that its head was about 25cm (10in) wide. Mr Hunt said that he managed to get to shore, where a friend helped to treat the wounds on the beach. He was then taken to the nearby Manning hospital. Two weeks earlier, Kirra-Belle Olsson, 13, a junior competitive surfer, was bitten on the ankle by a shark as she surfed off Avoca beach, 60 miles north of Sydney, and two weeks before that incident another surfer, Sean Pollard, 23, had part of an arm torn off by a great white shark, said to have been 13ft long, off the coast of Esperance, Western Australia. Sharks are common in Australian waters, but there are rarely more than two fatal attacks a year.

the times | Friday October 31 2014

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Business

Football is the winner

Deeper into the mire

Page 31

Page 35

TV rights help BT to increase revenue

Rio Tinto to take $2.5bn writedown

Insanity in the office

Leadership fads are thriving

Sathnam Sanghera, page 33

REX FEATURES

Yet another fine mess for Jenkins business commentary Alistair Osborne

o, talk about some bad asses at Barclays. Now it’s set aside £500 million for its alleged role in rigging the forex market (report, page 48). What’s left to rig? It’s already been whacked £290 million over Libor, £26 million for gold and £330 million for fixing electricity prices, even if it’s fighting that one. Then, add £38 million for muddling up clients’ money with its own and, possibly, £50 million more for 2008’s Gulf investor inducement caper. Respect, bro, as Antony Jenkins might say, though not quite like that. Still, it’s not hard to spot why the Barclays chief executive might distrust investment banking, even allowing for the PPI and interest swap mis-selling at the retail bank, his comfort zone. It may explain, too, why his Barclays reshaping involves a cull of 7,000 casino bankers. Not that Mr Jenkins hasn’t also stood up for them, facing down a one-third shareholder revolt at April’s AGM over the need to pay big bonuses to retain staff. A “wise investment” is how he put it. Well, it doesn’t look so wise now. Barclays has produced decent thirdquarter figures except at the investment bank. “Disappointing” was Mr Jenkins’s understated take on some ghastly numbers, with pre-tax profits dropping from £465 million to £284 million. It was whipped just about everywhere — down 5 per cent in fixed income, currencies and commodities, for example, while Goldman Sachs rose 74 per cent. And Barclays’ equity operations dived 25 per cent as clients took fright at its “dark pool” trading arena, said to be “full of predators”, at least according to Eric Schneiderman, the New York attorney-general, whose threatened fine Barclays is contesting. No, you can’t judge an investment bank on one quarter. Yet, Mr Jenkins’s overhaul looks moralesapping, while things will only get harder. The Prudential Regulation Authority is expected to say today that Barclays’ 3.5 per cent leverage ratio should be about a point higher, so raising costs at the casino bank. Indeed, it’s far from clear that retail banker Mr Jenkins knows how to get the best out of the UK’s only global, but shrinking, investment bank. More clarity will come next year with the arrival from Aviva of a new chairman, John McFarlane, an expert in the field. Until then, just avoiding fines would be a start.

By the book

hat a relief for polar bears. The new chairman of Royal Dutch Shell, one Chad Holliday, is the joint author of Walking the Talk — an exposition of the “three pillars of sustainable development”, namely “economic growth, ecological balance and social progress”. How he squares

that with turning the Arctic into an oilfield is anyone’s guess; not that Shell’s been in situ since 2012’s comedy when a ship ran aground. Still, it’s lucky Shell seems to be doing OK without disturbing the old Ursus maritimus. When Ben van Beurden pitched up with its first profit warning for ten years in January, he put an end to the capex splurge that saw Shell spend $44.3 billion last year, $5 billion more than guidance. Instead, the focus would be on tighter project delivery, higher-margin production and cash. The better-than-expected thirdquarter results testify to that, with net capital spending down from $9.4 billion to $4.8 billion and cashflow up from $10.4 billion to $12.8 billion. The falling oil price hasn’t helped either, though, at an average $103 over the period, it provided an easier backdrop than the present $87. Indeed, oil at $85 would cost Shell $8 billion profits over a year. Still, Mr van Beurden has so far delivered on his word, even if quoting his chairman’s book would have looked like brown-nosing.

Keeping shtoom

on’t go down a coalmine without a canary. Those investors in Bumi (now Asia Resource Minerals) forgot that and ended up spending £10 a share on a business now trading at 40p. So, too, did the former chairman Samin Tan. He sunk a net $800 million into a company now valued at less than £100 million, winding up with 47.6 per cent of the shares, half coming from Indonesia’s Bakrie family, the bunch who created Bumi with the financier Nat Rothschild. Well, guess what? Having used his stake to sack the chairman and chief executive, Mr Tan’s now been forced to hand half of his holding to Raiffeisen bank to meet a margin call. The relationship agreement, approved by the Takeover Panel, waiving the requirement of a 30 per cent-plus investor to launch a full bid is in tatters. So, if Mr Tan can afford to buy back his stake, he’d have to bid for the whole company. Why anyone would do that isn’t obvious either, given the low thermal coal price and $950 million of debt refinancing to come. No wonder Mr Tan keeps a low profile.

Furry friends

t’s not every day that one of the world’s top businessmen makes such a refreshing statement about his private life. So, full marks to Sir Richard Branson for being so open. “What’s your favourite animal?” he asked yesterday, before confessing: “I love lemurs.” Yup, for once he got upstaged.

alistair.osborne@thetimes.co.uk

Trading places Princess Beatrice hit the phones yesterday as she took part in Bloomberg Tradebook’s annual charity day at the company’s office in London. She helped clients to place their orders, with the commission being donated to Children in Crisis

Shale threatened by oil slump, says Shell Tim Webb

Royal Dutch Shell will take an $8 billion hit and is unlikely to push ahead with new fracking projects in North America if oil prices languish at current levels for a year. The Anglo-Dutch company said that its quarterly profits would be $2 billion lower for every quarter that the price of crude remained at $85 a barrel, giving an indication of the extent of the squeeze being felt by the oil industry from the slump in prices. The warning came as Shell reported better third quarter profits than expected and announced that it had appointed a new chairman. Charles “Chad” Holliday, formerly of Bank of America, will become the first American to chair the company. The price of Brent crude has fallen from $115 a barrel in June to $85 in recent days. Simon Henry, the chief financial officer, said: “It is quite likely we will take a very close look at levels of investment where we have flexibility if we see the oil price weakness persisting.” Bigger projects will go ahead, though,

and capital expenditure is expected to remain unchanged at $35 billion next year. Mr Henry said that it would not make sense to scrap projects “mid-flow”. The plunging oil price has unnerved global stock markets and slowed merger and acquisition activity, according to leading bankers. Shares in several American shale gas operators have plunged by as much as half. Shell’s share

‘It is quite likely we will look at investment if the price weakness persists’ price, which lost 8p to close at £22.27½ yesterday, has slipped 9 per cent in the past three months. BP this week reported a slump in profits, caused by a combination of lower oil prices and Russian sanctions. However, Shell’s third-quarter profits still rose by 31 per cent to $4.5 billion, driven by improved refining margins, as the fall in crude has largely taken place

since September. Iain Reid, analyst at BMO Capital Markets, the investment bank, said: “The companies are at a sweet spot at the moment but are lowering expectations for the fourth quarter, when refining margins and oil prices are expected to decline.” Shell said that it was less likely to press ahead with its shale oil projects in the Permian Basin, in Texas, and West Canada if oil prices fell to $80. Such shale oil projects, which have higher costs and are easier to scale back, as well as exploration operations, could be reviewed if lower oil prices persisted. New projects need oil prices of $70 to break even, but $90 to make a good return. Shell is confident that its low levels of borrowing will ensure that it can withstand two years of low oil prices without having to cut spending or the dividend. The company is keen to distinguish itself from rivals such as BP, which this week said that capital expenditure this year would be lower than expected. Executives are also anxious not to repeat the mistakes of the late nineties Continued on page 35, col 1

Friday October 31 2014 | the times

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Business

Need to know Your 5-minute digest economics Germany: Unemployment has unexpectedly fallen in Europe’s biggest economy in a welcome relief after weeks of gloomy economic data in the country. The number of people without a job fell by 22,000 to 2.887 million on a seasonally adjusted basis, the Federal Labour Office said, leaving the headline unemployment rate steady at 6.7 per cent. Record high employment, moderate inflation and rising wages were helping to prop up domestic demand, which the government hoped would support growth by compensating for weak exports. Page 34 United States: The world’s biggest economy grew at an annualised rate of 3.5 per cent in the third quarter, beating expectations but signalling a slowdown in the pace of expansion. Although the figure was much lower than the 4.6 per cent growth in the second quarter, it was a big increase on the minus 2.1 per cent recorded in the first quarter, which resulted from unseasonably cold weather. Page 34

banking & finance 0.30% National Australia Bank: The Australian owner of Yorkshire and Clydesdale banks could float the lenders as it seeks to exit the UK as an “absolute priority”. The Melbournebased bank wants to dispose of its British assets after they contributed to a 9.8 per cent fall in annual profits, from A$5.75 billion to A$5.18 billion (£2.8 billion). Andrew Thorburn, the group chief executive officer, said that, while its franchises in Australia and New Zealand were “in good shape,” its UK results were “disappointing”. Page 32

Barclays: The bank has set aside £500 million to pay for expected fines regarding alleged foreign exchange manipulation, and warned that its large investment banking division had a disappointing third quarter. The forex provision comes as Barclays prepares to settle with regulators over its role in allegedly attempting to rig foreign exchange benchmarks for its own gain. Page 32

construction & property 1.24% Housing market: Fears of a slowdown in the housing market are building, as Nationwide figures showed the growth in house prices slowed for the second month running. House prices across the UK grew by 9 per cent in October from the previous year, down from annual growth of 9.4 per cent in September. House prices rose by 0.5 per cent over the month after dipping 0.1 per cent in September, pushing prices to an all-time high of £189,333.

Centre for Cities: A report from the think-tank found that, in order to tackle the UK’s housing shortage, only 5.2 per cent of the green belt land of the 10 least affordable cities, including London, Oxford, Cambridge and Bristol, would need to be developed to supply 1.4 million, low-density homes close to existing infrastructure. Countrywide: Despite signs of a slowdown in the housing market, the UK’s largest estate agent has been one beneficiary, reporting record pre-tax earnings of £40 million in the three months to September, up 38 per cent on the same period a year earlier.

health 0.84% Smith & Nephew: “Standout” growth in hip replacements in the US sent the UK medical device company to near the top of the FTSE 100 leaderboard. Smith & Nephew reported a 3 per cent rise in third-quarter profits compared with last year amid rising demand for knee and hip devices in America. It offset a poor performance in its wound management division, which makes products to treat chronic wounds, mainly in older people, such as pressure sores and venous leg ulcers. Overall, third-quarter profits rose to $246 million, up from $222 million last year, from revenues of $1.15 billion, which rose 3 per cent year on year. Page 37

leisure 0.91% Cineworld: Plans by Picturehouse Cinemas to cut 34 of the 93 staff at the Ritzy in Brixton, south London, have been scrapped after its parent company intervened following public protests over the move. Hilton Worldwide: An exclusive licence deal has been signed with China’s Plateno Hotels Group that envisages the development of more than 400 Hampton by Hilton hotels across China. Spirit Pub Company: A £1.4 billion takeover of the Chef & Brewer operator by Greene King remained on track last night, despite a delay to its expected offer. The “put up or shut up” deadline set by the Takeover Panel for 5pm was extended until Tuesday to allow the two companies to “conclude their ongoing discussions”. Page 36

media 0.49% Streaming services: Rupert Murdoch has said that America’s TV and movie giants are planning to expand aggressively their online video presence to ward off the threat from Netflix and Amazon. Mr Murdoch, who runs 21st Century Fox, the media group, and News Corp, the parent company of The Times, said the industry needs a “serious competitor” to streaming

services. He told a conference hosted by The Wall Street Journal in California that Hulu, an online video service owned by 21st Century Fox, DisneyABC and NBC Universal, would have to grow to rival the other streaming providers.

Page 36

natural resources 1.69% Rio Tinto: The BritishAustralian mining giant looks set to take a $2.5 billion writedown on its huge but troubled copper project in Mongolia. Construction of the $5 billion (£3.1 billion) Oyu Tolgoi mine has become ensnared in a tax dispute with the government. The mine has the potential to transform an economy that is on a par with Angola or Swaziland in national income per head. Page 35

Shell: The Anglo-Dutch oil company will take an $8 billion hit and is unlikely to push ahead with new fracking projects in North America if oil prices languish at current levels for a year. Shell said that its quarterly profits would be $2 billion lower for every quarter that the price of crude stayed at $85 a barrel, giving an indication of the extent of the squeeze being felt by the oil industry from the slump in prices. The warning came as Shell reported better than expected third-quarter profits and said that it had appointed a new chairman. Page 29

retailing 0.37% Harrods: The Knightsbridge department store has helped its Qatari owners hand themselves a dividend of £117.6 million. The sum, awarded on February 1, was almost double the previous year’s £68.6 million, according to accounts filed at Companies House. The award follows a record year for Harrods Group, which also runs luxury airline services at Luton and Stansted airports, manages real estate through Harrods Estates, insurance through Genavco and finance through Harrods Bank. Turnover was up 11 per cent to £843 million, from £765.4 million. Annual profits after tax rose to £84.5 million from £65.8 million. Page 31 Tesco: Britain’s largest supermarket group is facing the prospect of a complicated fraud investigation that could drag on for years, a leading law firm has said. Pinsent Masons said that the Serious Fraud Office could take three to seven years to conclude any investigation into Tesco, “particularly if the matter progresses to a prosecution”. Tesco confirmed on Wednesday that it was facing a criminal investigation by the SFO into a £263 million accounting black hole.

technology 1.05% Apple: Tim Cook, the chief executive of the technology

World markets FTSE 100 6,463.55 (+9.68)

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The day ahead With profit warnings from its largest rivals falling from the skies around Europe, shares in International Consolidated Airlines — otherwise known as BA and Iberia — have soared by 20 per cent in a matter of days. It could be because Lufthansa and Air FranceKLM are naturally more exposed to the fragile eurozone economies. It could be that IAG has been successful in pushing

through its bloody redundancy programmes while its continental rivals have not bitten the bullet. IAG’s third-quarter results today should give some clues. At the half-year the airlines had operating profits of €230 million, returning from the red in the previous year. Total revenues were running up by 6.7 per cent. Willie Walsh, the IAG chief executive, will have plenty to say about air passenger duty.

Graph of the day

Consumer confidence index

0 -3 -6 -9 -12

2014

Oct Nov Dec Jan

Feb Mar Apr May Jun

Jul

Aug Sep Oct

-15

Results in brief Name

Pre-tax figure Profit (+) loss (-)

BT (telecom HY) J Smart (property FY)

£1.1bn (£948m) £1.2m (£0.5m)

telecoms 0.56% BT Group: The broadband provider has refused to be drawn into a price war with BSkyB, despite growth in its consumer broadband slowing as customers were charged more for superfast internet connections and televised sport. BT added 88,000 broadband customers in the second quarter, fewer than in previous quarters. Profit before tax rose nearly 45 per cent in the second quarter. Revenue reached £4.4 billion, down 2 per cent on a reported level. Page 31

transport 0.28%

GfK’s consumer conﬁdence index for the UK dropped one point this month to -2. Three of the ﬁve measures used to calculate the index recorded falls this month. GfK said that the almost constant improvement that led to the index rising 28 points between April 2013 and June this year seems to have run out of steam.

2013

giant, has said he is proud to be gay, publicly acknowledging his sexuality for the first time in the hope that it might help others. In a moving letter published by Bloomberg Businessweek, he wrote: “While I have never denied my sexuality, I haven’t publicly acknowledged it either, until now. So let me be clear: I’m proud to be gay, and I consider being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me.” Mr Cook, who has headed Apple since 2011, is the most highprofile business person to come out and his statement will be welcomed by campaigners for gay rights. Samsung: The South Korean tech company will restructure its mobile phone division after reporting a 60 per cent slide in third quarter profits amid fierce competition. Operating profits fell to 4.06 trillion won (£2.4 billion) in the third quarter, compared with the same period last year, to the lowest level in more than three years. Sales fell by 20 per cent to 47.4 trillion won. Page 37

Dividend 3.9p p Feb 9 2.96p f 2.04p p Dec 22

6 Results in brief are given for all companies valued at more than £30 million. f = final p = payable

The day’s biggest movers Company Castleton Technology Makes an acquisition National Express A reassuring update St. James’s Place More funds under management Smith & Nephew Higher profits Mondi Moody’s upgrades Standard Chartered Further consideration of plunging profits Hochschild Mining A stronger dollar Randgold Resources Cheaper gold Afren Delays in Nigeria Union Jack Oil A dry well

Change 15.4% 4.7% 3.6% 3.5% 2.4% -4.9% -5.9% -6.0% -15.6% -23.1%

Lufthansa: Shares in Europe’s biggest-earning airline plunged after it issued its second profit warning of the year under pressure from low-cost rivals, strikes and global economic uncertainty. Carsten Spohr, the chief executive, said operating profit next year would be only “significantly above” the €1 billion (£787 million) expected for 2014, compared with a previous forecast for €2 billion. Lufthansa reported higher-than-expected third quarter results, with operating profit up by 24.6 per cent to €735 million on sales of €8.46 billion between July and September. Page 37

utilities 0.80% Entu: The Manchester-based green energy outfit became the latest float from Zeus Capital to debut on AIM. Entu, controlled by Brian Kennedy, the owner of the Sale Sharks premiership rugby union side, raised more than £32 million by selling shares priced at 100p. They closed at 103½p, valuing the supplier of smart boilers and solar panels above £65 million. Page 39

the times | Friday October 31 2014

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Business JASON ALDEN/BLOOMBERG VIA GETTY IMAGES

Harrods in lap of even more luxury

ell-heeled tourists flocked to Harrods in record numbers to splash out on luxury fashions, handbags, watches and designer jewellery, generating a £118 million dividend payout for the store’s Qatari owners (Edward Curwen and Andrew Clark write). Accounts for the Knightsbridge store reveal that £794 million passed through its tills in the year to February, an increase of 10.8 per cent on the previous year as Harrods rode the wave of a luxury goods boom. An extensive refurbishment of the ground floor, including an expansion of the jewellery section, helped business, as did the opening of a bespoke shoe gallery and an enlarged Louis Vuitton shopping hall. Operating profits rose by 13 per cent to £123 million, and the dividend taken by Qatari Holdings, which bought the store from Mohamed al-Fayed in 2010, was nearly twice last year’s payout of £68.6 million. Michael Lieblich, an

analyst at Kantar Retail, said: “They’ve focused on the highest end of luxury possible in comparison to rivals such as Selfridges.

They’ve gone very heavy online and they’ve invested substantially in the store.” He added that Harrods had made much of exclusive

merchandise in its store, such as designer shoes that are unavailably elsewhere, which play well with affluent overseas visitors. “They’ve

been targeting the Middle Eastern customer a lot more. Exclusivity is a big draw for tourists. People are keen to find something different.”

Harrods invested £58.9 million in its London store, installing a new escalator and a chandelier in a refurbished grand hall entrance on the ground floor. The group also upgraded its outlets at Gatwick and Heathrow and incorporated a French property management unit, Harrods Estates Paris SA, with a share capital of €1 million. The retailer, a fixture on the London shopping scene since it was opened as a oneroom tea and grocery store in 1849, is owned by the strategic investment division of the Qatar Investment Authority. It is one of a number of trophy assets in London held by the Qataris, alongside the Shard, Chelsea Barracks and a stake in Heathrow. Michael Ward, the managing director of Harrods, has been prominent in a lobbying campaign that is urging the government to make visas easier and cheaper to obtain for Chinese visitors, who often shop at Harrods. In an interview this year, he lamented the counterfeiting of luxury goods and emphasised their value in terms of jobs and taxation: “This isn’t about Cara Delevingne on the catwalk in her Burberry trench coat. It’s the factory in Castleford that is kept open by making it.”

BT strikes to ease pain over football auction Alex Spence Media Editor

The City’s fears of a sky-high rise in the cost of the rights to screen live Premier League football matches may come to nothing, the chief executive of BT has said. The prospect of another jump in the cost of the games eating into profits has weighed on BT in recent months, but Gavin Patterson said that analysts may be proven wrong at the next auction in the new year. “The sort of prices we paid last time were pretty chunky, to say the least,” Mr Patterson said. “I wouldn’t just assume that inflation is guaranteed.” BT has muscled into the live sports broadcasting market, which for years has been dominated by BSkyB, in an attempt to shore up its broadband business. It agreed to pay £246 million a

year in an auction for the rights to screen some Premier League matches, including the early kick-off on Saturdays. The total cost of the games rose by 70 per cent to £3 billion in the most recent auction, in 2012, and many in the industry believe that it will rise again. BT and BSkyB could be joined by other

bidders, such as Discovery, the American pay TV giant. Credit Suisse analysts are forecasting that BT’s spending on the games will increase by 50 per cent to 60 per cent, to nearly £400 million a year. Mr Patterson would not give

details about BT’s plans for the next auction but said that the company had a clear idea of what the Premier League games are worth and would be “very disciplined” in bidding. The importance of football was highlighted in BT’s latest half-year results yesterday. A 2 per cent rise in revenues to £8.7 billion came largely from growth in the consumer division, where demand for superfast internet connections and sports TV has driven sales. Revenues in BT’s consumer business grew by 7 per cent in the past three months to £1.1 billion, the company said. Additions of new broadband customers slowed during the period because of heavy promotional activity by competitors, such as BSkyB and TalkTalk, but BT still captured nearly half of the new broadband users in the period, adding 88,000. The number of

users of BT Infinity, the high-speed fibre-optic broadband service, grew by 203,000 in the second quarter to pass 2.5 million. A third of broadband users are taking the higher-priced superfast service, BT said. The number of TV customers grew by 38,000 in the second quarter, to slightly more than a million. BT said that it had struck a deal with Netflix, the internet streaming service, to make it available to BT’s TV customers through their set-top boxes. BT would not comment on how many of its television customers have signed up priBT’s sports coverage includes Aviva Premiership rugby union

marily because of the sports programming, which also includes Champions League football and Premiership rugby union. It said that audiences for the Premier League football matches have increased by 45 per cent this season, with a peak of 1.2 million for the opening game between Manchester United and Swansea. BT raised its interim dividend by 15 per cent to 3.9p. Shares closed down by 2 per cent to 368p. Mr Patterson said that the latest results were solid and ahead of expectations, but analysts said that there were still areas of concern, including the size of BT’s pension deficit, which widened slightly to £5.9 billion after tax during the second quarter.

British banks among City’s worst payers Crackdown on bad behaviour Harry Wilson

British investment banks have emerged as among the worst payers in the City after a survey of 640 senior Londonbased bankers found not one UK firm ranked in the top ten for bonus payouts. Pay at British lenders is topped by American, German and even French rivals despite frequent public howls that London-based banks pay staff in their investment divisions too much. The top UK bank by pay is twelfthplaced HSBC, where director-level employees in its trading division can hope to earn £308,000 a year, more than £150,000 less than at the top-ranked JP Morgan where comparable staff get £461,000, including a £272,000 bonus.

Investment bankers’ pay 1 JP Morgan Chase £461,000 2 Deutsche Bank £402,000 3 BAML £376,000 4 UBS £360,000 5 Citigroup £359,000 6 Credit Suisse £357,000 7 Morgan Stanley £353,000 8 Nomura £335,000 9 Goldman Sachs £330,000 10 Société Générale £319,000 British banks 12 HSBC £308,000 13 Barclays £280,000 15 RBS £262,000 17 Lloyds £220,000

Goldman Sachs ranks a lowly ninth, according to Emolument.com, the financial services industry pay consultants. Barclays is placed 13th in the table, with annual pay of £280,000, well below its German rival Deutsche Bank, where employees receive salaries and bonuses worth £402,000 on average. Pay at RBS is lower still, with trading staff picking up an average of £262,000, less than their rivals at Santander, while Lloyds employees can expected to be paid about £220,000 a year. Robert Benson, the chief executive of Emolument.com, said that many banks were struggling to compete on pay with the largest banks as a small group of Wall Street and European investment banks pull away from struggling rivals.

sends more bosses into exile James Hurley

The government’s Insolvency Service is taking a tougher line with rogue bosses, resulting in a marked increase in director disqualifications. In the three months to September, there was a 46 per cent rise in disqualifications compared with the same period last year, as the agency responded to pressure from ministers to crack down on reckless behaviour and misconduct. About half of the orders related to wrongdoing associated with the financial crisis. Disqualifications in the financial and insurance sectors increased sixfold compared with last year,

according to Zolfo Cooper, the insolvency firm, which compiled the figures. Experts believe that the increase in disqualifications is down to more effort being made by the Insolvency Service to tackle poor conduct from company directors rather than any wider rise in corporate misbehaviour. In the 12 months to April this year, 1,273 directors were disqualified, compared with 1,031 in the previous year. However, over the same period, there was a 12 per cent decrease in the number of reports filed to the government by insolvency professionals about directors seen to have engaged in negligent or dishonest conduct.

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Patrick Hosking Financial Editor

Barclays set aside £500 million yesterday to pay expected fines for its alleged role in attempting to rig foreign currency markets but analysts immediately warned that the bank would have to pay far more to draw a line under the scandal. “This is just their first stab at it,” said Shailesh Raikundlia, an Espírito Santo analyst, who estimated that the final cost would be £2 billion to £3 billion. Barclays, which has been dubbed the most frequently fined bank in Britain because of past misconduct, is believed to be facing penalties from as many as six regulators but has so far earmarked cash for only two of the investigations closest to settlement. Tushar Morzaria, the bank’s finance director, hinted that there could be more pain to come over the forex failings when he said that the provision was only “our best estimate based on dialogue we’re having with certain regulatory agencies” and not the total expected bill. Barclays, which has yet to admit any wrongdoing, and other banks are thought to be within weeks of settling with the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority and at least one American regulator. However, with the US Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Commodities and Futures Trading Commission, the New York Department of Financial Services and the European Commission also taking an interest in the case, the final bill is expected to be much higher. More than a dozen banks are under investigation from multiple agencies, and scores of traders have been dismissed or suspended on suspicion of trying to rig benchmarks in the forex markets for their own gain. The Barclays provision follows the SwFr1.8 billion (£1.2 billion) announced by UBS this week to cover potential legal costs over forex. The new Barclays provision, along with “disappointing” revenues in the bank’s investment banking division,

overshadowed a solid performance from the rest of Barclays, which lifted adjusted profits before tax in the September quarter by 15 per cent to £1.59 billion. Profits in the core personal and corporate banking division grew by 11 per cent, and the Barclaycard credit card division’s contribution was up 16 per cent. Antony Jenkins, the chief executive, said that overall the bank was making progress and declared a third interim dividend of 1p. The progress on costs was most pronounced with Barclays posting the “lowest-cost quarter for five years”, a performance that helped to push the share price 2p higher to 222½p. However, the investment banking division posted worse trading revenues than rivals as it struggled to shrug off the impact of the “dark pools” investigation by the New York attorney-general. Clients have defected after Barclays was accused of fraud and deceit in its marketing of its dark pool, which is an off-exchange trading platform for institutional investors. Equities revenues were down by 25 per cent in the quarter, bond trading revenues fell by 17 per cent and mergers and acquisition fees were 22 per cent down on the same quarter last year. Barclays echoed the disappointment of Lloyds Banking Group this week when it set aside an additional £170 million to compensate customers mis-sold payment protection insurance, taking the total bill to more than £5 billion. However, it was able to release £160 million of past provisions over mis-sold interest rate hedging products, while also booking a one-off £481 million gain after a court victory in a dispute over the assets included in the Lehman Brothers acquisition of 2009. The leverage ratio improved to 3.5 per cent, comfortably above the present 3 per cent minimum, but Barclays is seen as potentially vulnerable to an expected increase in the minimum for UK banks expected to be announced by the Bank of England’s Financial Policy Committee today.

Antony Jenkins, chief executive of Barclays

Barclays share price 800p 700 600 500 400

Source: Thomson Reuters

Barclays’ £500m forex fund ‘will not cover fines’

Wings clipped

300 200 100 2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

National Australia Bank could add to the queue of lenders lining up to list in London after saying that it was looking to float its Yorkshire and Clydesdale banks subsidiary, confirming its longexpected exit from the British market. The Australian banking group said that it was studying a “range of options” for its struggling UK division, which has been beset by the cost of writing off billions of pounds of bad debts and compensating customers mis-sold payment protection insurance and complex interest rate derivatives. Reporting its full-year results, NAB said that it was considering floating Yorkshire and Clydesdale, which would end the lender’s nearly three decade attempt to build a successful UK banking business after years of heavy losses. Yorkshire and Clydesdale had built up a large portfolio of commercial real estate loans in the run-up to the financial crisis that in 2009 was worth £7.7 billion, but after a series of write-

Floating the Clydesdale and Yorkshire banks could be a difficult proposition

downs, asset disposals and repayments, the book has been cut to £2.2 billion, according to NAB’s latest results. NAB has also been hit hard by compensation costs for mis-selling both PPI and swaps, putting aside £806 million for the former and £431 million for the latter. Andrew Thornburn, the NAB’s chief executive, said that the bank’s “clear focus” was on its domestic market and

2011

2012

2013

2014

Investment bank Bonus pot

Profit

£1.57m

£2.52bn

Average bonus per employee

26,200

employees

13%

37%

£59,900

Third-quarter revenues Mergers and acquisitions Lending

£410m £137m

22%

226%

Fixed income

£255m

17%

Equities

£395m

Macro

NAB moves nearer to British exit Harry Wilson

2010

New Zealand and that it would be treating with “greater urgency” the question of extricating itself from Britain. “We have an intention to exit the UK,” Mr Thornburn told Reuters. “We think there’s an opportunity now that probably wasn’t there before. What we are signalling is that’s our intent. It is an absolute priority.” Floating Yorkshire and Clydesdale could be tough given the recent difficulties of smaller banks to complete initial public offerings. Aldermore cancelled its planned £875 million IPO, and Virgin Money has postponed its £2 billion listing until stock markets improve after recent declines in global equities. It has been known for some time that NAB has wanted to sell the 320-branch Yorkshire and Clydesdale banks, but few buyers have emerged. One senior banking executive said: “Every asset has a price, and we would look at any reasonably priced acquisition, but we would definitely want full indemnities against conduct and loan write-offs before we would touch it.”

25% £470m

Friday October 31 2014 | the times

Doubts grow as investment bankers fail to measure up Poor returns in the investment banking division have once again raised questions about whether Barclays should continue to operate such a dominant securities offshoot, especially one that creates so much explosive controversy every bonus season (Patrick Hosking writes). Shareholders contrast the lowly 4.9 per cent return on equity of the division with other parts of the core bank, which are delivering high teens RoE or better, and wonder whether to ditch it completely. Some still hark back to the spectacular returns of the past and hope they can yet be replicated, but others argue that regulators and clients will never allow investment banks to go back to their pre-crunch ways and see the division as a costly and lowly rated distraction. While Barclays slimmed back the division in its May strategic review, jettisoning £90 billion of riskweighted assets, it remains the only serious contender for a Britishheadquartered bulge bracket investment bank. The latest numbers from the division were poor. In spite of some high profile deals, such as advising the London Stock Exchange on its Russell acquisition and associated rights issue and the UK Government on a £5 billion gilt issue, its revenues are down and it seems to be faring less well than rivals such as Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse. The “dark pools” scandal is partly to blame, as equities trading clients defect to other houses, but fixed income revenues disappointed. Antony Jenkins went out on a limb earlier this year in paying bigger investment banker bonuses, angering some investors, claiming he would not attract and retain the necessary talent unless he did. Yet the talent just doesn’t seem to be delivering. Investment bank profits are down 38 per cent this year. There is one silver lining: unless there is sharp pick-up in performance, Mr Jenkins should have no difficulty in cutting the bonus pool and lifting the dividend.

Bad banks to pay debts within a decade after £1.6bn handover Miles Costello

The state-run “bad banks” of Northern Rock and Bradford & Bingley have repaid almost a quarter of their debts to the taxpayer after pouring £1.6 billion into Treasury coffers during the six months to the end of September. The interim figures, boosted by mortgage borrowers repaying loans, means that the two lenders have paid back £12 billion of the £49.9 billion in rescue finance they received when they almost collapsed during the financial crisis. UK Asset Resolution, the body set up four years ago this week to run down both banks’ balance sheets, said that it remained on track to repay all of its debts to the Treasury, with interest, to ensure a modest profit for the taxpayer. Richard Banks, the UKAR’s chief executive, said: “We can’t be precise but we expect to repay the government loans by the middle of the next decade.” UKAR topped up the debt repayment with £400 million of interest

charges, meaning that the Treasury received a total of £2 billion in the period, the group said. Mr Banks said that UKAR had made “good progress” in the six months as he reported a 17 per cent increase in underlying pre-tax profits to £693 million. UKAR’s balance sheet, which effectively consists of the hundreds of thousands of mortgages it took on in 2010, was reduced by £4.4 billion to £58 billion as home loans were paid off. The number of customers fell by 29,000 during the period to just under 435,000. The improving health of the economy meant that the number of mortgage borrowers three or more months in arrears had fallen, by 11 per cent, to 13,746, UKAR said, with more than 94 per cent up to date with payments. Last month, after the period covered by yesterday’s update, UKAR said that it had sold a £2.7 billion book of mortgages at a premium of 2 per cent to a consortium led by US bank JP Morgan, generating a £55 million profit.

the times | Friday October 31 2014

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Business

Sathnam Sanghera

European tax inquiry net widens to London

When your boss makes a visit to the bathroom, he’s just following the crowd

‘‘

Sathnam Sanghera is a journalist and author. Follow him on Twitter @Sathnam

Two months ago I wrote about the maniacal fad among chief executives for waking up early. And it went well, as far as these things go. Sir Richard Branson blogged in response, politely disagreeing about the merits of the dawn rise. I was woken up, ironically, at an unholy hour to appear on Radio 4’s Today programme to discuss the issue. I got told I was clueless by slightly more people than usual on Twitter. However, as I have kept an eye out for signs of other trends among our business leaders, I’ve noticed something: hundreds of people are doing the same. The essence of what makes good leadership has been studied for millennia, of course — you could argue that Cicero’s De Officiis was essentially a management manual. However, in the 21st century the search has turned into a mass obsession, and some of the conclusions being drawn are insane. How insane? Well, in the past few days I have seen it being argued, variously, that great leaders: 1. Use analogies. This esoteric assertion came from John Pollack, former speechwriter to Bill Clinton and author of Shortcut, who was quoted in Fast Company, the magazine, arguing that the “analogical instinct” — “the ability to see how certain things are like other things” — is at the root of all business success. “We use analogies to think through all the formation we encounter to make a decision,” he told Fast Company. “We’re taking in all this data, we’re comparing it to what we know, we’re looking for similarities, and trying to make educated guesses based on what we’ve encountered before.” Well, if this were true, poets and novelists, who are in the business of coming up with analogies, would be billionaire business geniuses. The last time I looked around, and glanced at my bank account, they weren’t. 2. Start their morning with “a simple chuckle”. This inane observation has appeared not just in one, but in two different places on Business Insider recently. Once in a piece entitled 13 things the most successful people do in the first 10

minutes of their workday, which mentioned “chuckling” alongside “reflection”, taking “a moment to pause and be present”, “strategically checking” email, and another time in 30 Things The Best Bosses Always Say, which cited “Hahaha!” alongside “Good morning” and “How are your kids/dogs/parents?” The piece continued: “Great bosses laugh — and they make sure it’s with employees, not at them! Nobody ever died of laughter”. Clearly the writer is not British, because if I’m pretty sure employees over here would be at risk of physically dying of cringe if they had to endure their bosses starting each day with a self-enforced giggle. 3. Dare to be wrong. This counterintuitive titbit came via Malcolm Gladwell, who was asked by a reporter on Quartz what had made him so successful, and he replied that it was being “unafraid of making a fool of myself”, adding that “there’s a 40 per cent chance I’ll be wrong, but that’s OK”.

And while I can see that such a quality is good in a public intellectual, who specialises in provocative books, it would be a terrible tendency in someone running someone else’s company, who has responsibilities to shareholders, customers and staff. Indeed, you could say that for most leaders, it is their job to be right at least 50 per cent of the time. 4. Change the toilet rolls in office bathrooms. When I first stumbled across this arresting tip for business leaders in a Fast Company article entitled How the Most Successful People Poop at Work written by one Lindsay Goldwert — who, according to the piece, left the world of women’s magazines because of “professional and digestive problems” — I thought it might be a joke. I’m still not entirely sure, which in itself says something about the nature of modern leadership advice. However, the author appears to argue that leaders could “improve office morale, boost productivity and improve employee, er, retention” by,

among other things, becoming a “bathroom monitor”. “Is your office’s restroom as foul as an airplane stall after a cross-country flight?” she asked. “Managers, put a stop to it. The bathroom is a mirror of the company itself. When people care enough to change the toilet paper roll, chances are they care about their colleagues and the work that they’re doing . . .” Though if you think such execrable leadership advice is as bad as things get, you’d be wrong. For last month a Harvard Business Review blog argued great leaders should . . . 5. Follow the example of a genocidal maniac. Somehow Patrick Murphy, a professor of management at DePaul University’s Driehaus College of Business, outdid all the above by writing about the leadership lessons that could be gleaned from . . . Christopher Columbus. Highlighting the man’s political deftness, optimism, and intense passion, while glossing over the fact that Columbus was a sadist who brutally put down native revolts, once punished a man found guilty of stealing corn by having his ears and nose cut off and then selling him into slavery, and was basically a tyrant. What is driving such idiocy? Well, as with the bad professional advice I cited the other week, I suspect it is partly just the dumbing down effect of the internet. However, with leadership there is also the prevalent idea that there are certain habits and qualities that unite and define great leaders and people have a chance of becoming great leaders themselves by copying them. It’s a complete fallacy, of course. You are not going to become Vince McMahon, billionaire chief executive, chairman and majority owner of World Wrestling Entertainment by banning, as he reportedly has, employees from sneezing in meetings, or Sir Richard Branson by waking up at dawn. Leadership success comes down to much more intangible things such as great ideas, luck, talent, timing and hard work. Frankly, it makes much more sense to talk about the qualities that great leaders generally don’t possess. And leadership advice on the internet is among them.

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Harry Wilson

The British tax authorities have been drawn into an investigation over allegations that hedge funds have used complex offshore schemes to avoid hundreds of millions of pounds in tax owed on dividends payments. Revenue & Customs has been asked by the German tax authorities to help the growing inquiry into the use of share deals channelled through major international financial institutions amid suspicions that London-based trading desks could have played a central part in the schemes. HMRC has requested information from London-based investment banks on behalf of the German authorities, according to unnamed sources cited by The Wall Street Journal, as investigators examine the possibility that large investment funds could have artificially created tax credits they should never have received. International investment banks are alleged to have structured complex share trades that saw hedge funds sell holdings in companies to an investor in another country shortly before dividends were due to avoid tax on the payments. The trades are alleged to have taken advantage of the differing tax treatment of dividends in different countries, creating the impression of more than one owner of a given holding and allowing multiple tax credits to be claimed. The so-called “cum-ex” scandal has already led to raids by the German authorities against those claimed to be involved in the practice. “These types of transactions are clearly complex and multi-faceted, and it is highly likely that any organisations being investigated would have previously sought detailed professional advice on the efficacy of those transactions,” James Hender, a partner at Saffery Champness, the accountancy firm, said. “If HMRC does challenge these firms about the transactions, it is likely to result in a highly protracted series of court battles playing out over many years before it is clear whether any additional tax is due.” A Revenue spokesman said: “Where called upon, HMRC will also support partner tax administrations in accessing information that is “foreseeably relevant” in accordance with our treaties, which are underpinned by domestic tax law in the UK.”

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Friday October 31 2014 | the times

Business

Fed chief calls for more diversity to prevent crisis Alexandra Frean Washington

Janet Yellen, the chairwoman of the US Federal Reserve, suggested yesterday that the 2008 financial crisis might have been more clearly predicted had there been more women and minority economists to test the “mistaken or misplaced ideas and assumptions” of establishment economists. When the public asks whether economists did all they could to understand the looming threats of the crisis, Ms Yellen said that it was valid to ask: “Did the economics profession recruit and promote the individuals best able to bring the energy, the fresh insights, and the renewal that every field and every body of knowledge needs to remain healthy?” Speaking at a conference in Washington on diversity in the economics profession, Ms Yellen, the first woman to head the Federal Reserve in its 101-year history, said: “History shows that economies develop and become more stable through diversification.” Diversity among market players

was critical in spreading risk in the financial world, she said, adding that “one way to promote diversity of ideas is to promote diversity among the people we rely on for those ideas”. Ms Yellen’s remarks on women and minorities mark a highly unusual departure for a head of the Federal Reserve, whose every public utterance is scrutinised by markets. However, they are totally in keeping with the ideas of a woman who has devoted much of her research career to tackling the scourge of inequality and long term unemployment. Earlier this week she earned a reprimand from the Heritage Foundation, a conservative Washington think-tank, which mocked her as the nation’s “class warrior in chief” after she questioned whether the widening gap between the rich and poor in America was “compatible with values rooted in our nation’s history”. “The nation’s Fed chief ought to be a loud and clear voice for growth — not class envy,” Stephen Moore and Joel Griffith, of the Heritage Foundation, wrote.

OUTTV

Hot topic Starbucks has produced its first TV commercial aimed at the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community. It features the drag queens Adore Delano, left, and Bianca Del Rio who argue over who should be first in the queue for their coffee

US prepares for early rate rise despite slower growth Alexandra Frean Washington

The world’s biggest economy grew at a solid annualised rate of 3.5 per cent in the third quarter, beating expectations but signalling a slowdown in the pace of American expansion. The rise in GDP between July and September was significantly lower than the 4.6 per cent of the second quarter but is a vast improvement on the 2.1 per cent contraction in total output for the first three months of the year, which resulted from unusually cold weather. The figure emerged after the Federal Reserve expressed more optimism about the recovery, after ending its five-year quantitative easing programme, though the US central bank gave no indication on when it would raise interest rates. Bruce McCain, chief investment strategist at Key Private Bank, said: “A strong report, on the heels of a more hawkish tone from the Fed yesterday, has some investors thinking we could see a rate hike faster than might otherwise have been hoped.

“That’s dampening the spirits of investors who were hoping for easier monetary conditions for an extended period.” After being a drag on the economy in recent years, the public sector helped to drive growth in the third quarter. Government consumption increased by 4.6 per cent, led by a 16 per cent jump in defence spending, the largest increase in five years. Another big positive contribution came from net external demand, which added 1.3 percentage points to overall GDP growth with exports increasing by 7.8 per cent. Real personal disposable incomes increased by a healthy 2.7 per cent, and business investment came in at 5.5 per cent, led by a 7.2 per cent gain in investment in equipment. However, imports declined by 1.7 per cent, falling at the fastest pace since the fourth quarter of 2012, attributable largely to a drop in oil imports. Residential investment increased by only 1.8 per cent and consumption growth was a relatively modest 1.8 per cent. Paul Ashworth,

of Capital Economics, said that the strength of the figures underlined the fact that the Fed was to take a slightly more hawkish tone in yesterday’s Federal Open Market Committee statement. “Overall, we expect the strong growth to continue, with GDP on course for a 3 per cent annualised gain in the fourth quarter,” he said. However, Dean Maki, chief US economist for Barclays, said that the surprise increase in defence spending was unlikely to be repeated. “[It] leads us not to extrapolate the stronger growth into future quarters; we still expect 2.5 per cent real GDP growth in the fourth quarter of 2014,” he said. Domestic markets welcomed the figures. The Dow Jones industrial average and the S&P 500 each made significant gains in early trading. The report was the first of three estimates and will be subject to revision. In a separate report on the economy, jobless claims unexpectedly rose last week, but they remained at levels consistent with a firming labour market.

Fall in German jobless breaches gloom David Charter Berlin

Unemployment has unexpectedly fallen in Germany in a welcome relief from weeks of gloomy economic data in Europe’s biggest economy. The number of people without a job fell by 22,000 to 2.9 million on a seasonally-adjusted basis, the Federal Labour Office said, leaving the headline rate steady at 6.7 per cent. Record high employment, moderate inflation and rising wages were helping to prop up domestic demand in Germany, which the government hopes will support growth by compensating for weak exports. Figures this week showed, how-

ever, that one German in six was at risk of poverty because of earning so little, suggesting that domestic demand might not be able to counter the effect of exports lost because of the EU sanctions on Russia, where exports fell by 26 per cent on the year. Many of the jobs created are “mini-jobs” — part-time and untaxed under a scheme devised by Gerhard Schröder, the previous chancellor. They pay up to €450 a month. The federal office attributed the improvement partially to a seasonal pick-up after the summer holidays, which were late this year. The boost was seen this month rather than last. Recent data has painted a bleak

picture, with industry orders, output and exports all falling at their steepest rate since the height of the global financial crisis in 2009. Sentiment surveys have pointed to weakening business and investor morale. The downbeat numbers led organisations including the OECD, IMF and leading domestic institutes to cut forecasts for German growth. The government has cut its forecasts because of poor global growth and expects the economy to expand by only 1.2 per cent this year. After a 0.2 per cent contraction in GDP in the second quarter, a fall in thirdquarter figures in two weeks’ time would indicate a recession.

the times | Friday October 31 2014

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Business

Rio poised for $2.5bn write-off on delayed mine Marcus Leroux

Rio Tinto looks set to take a $2.5 billion writedown on its huge but troubled copper project in Mongolia. Construction of the $5 billion (£3.1 billion) Oyu Tolgoi mine has become ensnared in a tax dispute with the government. The mine has the potential to transform an economy that is on a par with Angola or Swaziland in national income per head. The International Monetary Fund says that it will be responsible for a third of the country’s GDP growth by the time it is operational. However, the delays contributed to a $2.5 billion reduction in the project’s value, according to a report by Turqoise Hill, the Riocontrolled company that owns most of the project. Rio had flagged at its half-year results in August that it may have to write down the value of the project if the delays continued. Its value has shrunk from $9.9 billion to $7.4 billion during the past year, with $1.1 billion of the fall in value due to the delays and slower production ramp-up. First production from the underground element of the project, which holds

about 80 per cent of the value, was supposed to arrive in 2017 but is not now expected until 2019, with one analyst who visited the site this week saying that 2020 is a more likely start date. Daniel Greenspan, a Macquarie analyst who visited the site, wrote to clients: “We got the distinct impression that even if the green light was given tomorrow, it could take at least ten months before workers and contractors are mobilised and construction recommences. Therefore, the 2019 production start date targeted in the new [technical report] is likely one year off at least.” Construction of the underground mine, and its 124 miles of tunnels, was postponed last summer after the Mongolian government announced that it was reviewing a feasibility study, which meant that Rio was unable to hit a September 30 deadline attached to a $3.6 billion finance package. Rio cut 300 jobs in May and appointed a new chief executive for the project, Andrew Woodley, in September. The project would be one of the world’s largest copper mines at full capacity, helping Rio Tinto to break its dependence on Austra-

PAULA BRONSTEIN/GETTY IMAGES

Production at the Oyu Tolgoi copper mine in Mongolia was due to begin in 2017 but analysts estimate that it will be delayed until 2019

lian iron ore for the vast majority of its profit. Macquarie is forecasting that the project will suck in about 40 per cent of Rio’s growth investment from next year. The negotiations and impending writedown come at a fraught time for Rio. The company was informally approached in July by Glencore about a potential merger

and is three weeks into a six-month period, enforced by the Takeover Panel, during which Glencore cannot return. Sam Walsh, Rio’s chief executive, said: “It’s a 50-year project . . . I need to make sure with these sorts of projects that you don’t put lead in the saddle that you have to carry for 50 years.”

Glitch halts privatisation of Spain’s airports Graham Keeley Madrid

Spain was yesterday forced to postpone a $10 billion part-privatisation of Aena, the state-owned airport operator, amid further doubts over the prospects for European recovery and limited appetite for a stock market listing. The sale of a 49 per cent stake in the world’s biggest airports operator had promised to be the largest share sale in Europe this year. The part-privatisation was seen as a key test of Spanish investors’ faith in the country’s economic prospects. Aena, which operates 46 airports in Spain and has interests in Mexico, Colombia, Cuba, Angola, and London Luton airport, had been aiming to make its stock market debut on November 12. However, renewed doubts over

the strength of Europe’s economic recovery and dwindling market appetite for new listings blighted the prospects for a successful sale. “The operation is postponed until a technical flaw that was identified can be resolved,” a source close to the operation told Reuters. This flaw relates to a tender not being organised to pick an auditor to sign off the so-called comfort letter needed for the prospectus. Luis de Guindos, the Spanish economy minister, was reported to be unhappy about the lack of a satisfactory auditor for such a high-profile operation. The government has asked the official state lawyer’s service to investigate whether it needs to open a selection process for an accounting firm to draw up a document confirming the finan-

Lower oil prices expected to help Shell reduce costs Continued from page 29

when Shell slashed spending on new projects after oil hit $10 a barrel. Shell’s growth prospects suffered and its desperate attempt to catch up with rivals led to the reserve scandal in 2004, when it revealed that it had overstated its oil and gas reserves by 20 per cent. Mr Henry added that lower oil prices could drive down costs in the supply chain. Industry executives are already reporting that the cost of hiring drilling rigs has fallen by between 10 and 15 per cent over the past six months.

Ben van Beurden, who was appointed chief executive in January with a mandate to cut spending, sell poorly performing assets and boost returns for investors, said: “The fall in oil prices is part of the volatility of our industry.”

cial soundness of the company. The halt in the sale, even if it is only a temporary measure, is a big blow to Spain’s centre-right government before a general election due next year. The failure of the flotation comes after months of laying the ground for the sale, including television and radio campaigns, advertising the impending share offer to the public in general and to retail investors in particular. Madrid has about six months to revive the Aena share offering or face having to start from scratch at a later stage. The government had provisionally placed about 21 per cent of the airports operator with three main investors, Britain’s Children’s Investment Fund Management, Spain’s Corporación Financiera

Alba fund and Ferrovial, the Spanish infrastructure group. These three are committed to going ahead providing the sale proceeds by April 16. The Aena share offer had already been hit by some hold-ups, with the state company delaying the filing of the offer prospectus last week. Aena said that it had no knowledge of a suspension but no government spokesman was prepared to comment last night. The Spanish government had initially considered a €5 billion valuation for Aena. But the price at which the three anchor shareholders offered to buy into the airports operator valued it at between €7.3 billion and €8 billion, higher than anticipated and raising concerns it could be too expensive.

Southern charmer brings energy to monolith Royal Dutch Shell, that quintessentially European institution, has just hired its first American chairman (Tim Webb writes). Charles Otis Holliday, left — Shell’s PR staff are already using his nickname “Chad” — breaks the mould in more ways than one. Growing up in Nashville, Tennessee,

he helped to clear out the yard of one of the singers from the famous Grand Ole Opry country music radio show, who lived across the street, in return for guitar lessons. Until September, the 66-year-old was chairman of Bank of America. He was chief executive of DuPont, the chemical group, between 1998 and 2009. He has been described as

“energetic, charismatic and good-looking” and his down-to-earth charm — he retains a Southern lilt — will certainly stand out at Shell’s monolithic headquarters in London and the Hague. The company is notoriously bureaucratic, prompting some insiders to liken it more to a government than a corporation.

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Friday October 31 2014 | the times

Business

Bank ‘buffers’ risk pushing up mortgage rates Kathryn Hopkins Property Correspondent

Banks and building societies could grant fewer mortgages or raise the interest rates that they charge households if the Bank of England introduces new rules forcing them to hold more capital, industry sources have warned. The Bank’s Financial Policy Committee will today set out its plans for a leverage ratio, a measure of risk and financial strength that stipulates how much an institution can lend in relation to the amount of “safety buffer” capital it has to cover any losses. At present, Britain’s eight biggest banks and building societies adhere to the European guidelines of a minimum 3 per cent leverage ratio, but the UK central bank is widely expected to introduce tougher rules that could be as high as 5 per cent. However, while the leverage ratio is George Osborne: “We need to keep stability in market”

designed to prevent a repetition of the 2008 crisis that nearly brought the global financial system to its knees, banks and building societies have privately warned that significantly increasing the capital they hold at any given time could hinder their ability to lend to households. Paul Lynam, the chief executive of Secure Trust Bank, said: “The reality of this change is that banks will either have to accept lower returns on equity, or the cost of financial products, such as mortgages, will have to rise. I think the latter is more likely than the former.” Another banking source said that “one outcome of higher leverage ratios could be reduced lending or higher prices for mortgage holders”, while earlier this week, António Horta Osório, the chief executive of Lloyds Banking Group, warned that it could push up

GUILLAUME HORCAJUELO/EPA

Aviva takes steady route to recovery

viva still has a way to go before its turnaround is complete, according to its chief executive (Miles Costello writes). Mark Wilson said that the insurer still needed to improve its cashflow generation to allow him to bump up the dividend payout to shareholders. As well as saying that Aviva needed to be more “ruthless” about cutting costs and becoming more efficient, Mr Wilson complained that the insurer’s share price was not high enough. “You know me, I’m never happy. The problem with being happy is that people in the business get complacent. I don’t want people relaxing in this business, that terrifies me,” Mr Wilson said. “The strategy is right. We have delivered earlier than we said we would.” Aviva’s life business in the UK returned to growth in the third quarter and reported strong performances by its Europe and Asia operations. That helped to offset a slump in annuity sales at in the UK division, sparked by the chancellor’s radical overhaul of the pensions market. Its general insurance business in France, though, was hit by the heavy hailstorms that tore into the Burgundy region in July and flooding in Montpellier in late September. The value of new business increased at Aviva by 15 per cent to £686 million during the nine months to the end of September, better than analysts had predicted. Analysts at Morgan Stanley and JP Morgan Cazenove said that Aviva’s performance suggested that its turnaround was on track, with Credit Suisse describing it as “solid and straightforward”. Its shares lost 1½p to 516p.

the cost of mortgages. It is understood that building societies would be the most affected by such a move, and the Building Societies Association, which represents the industry, said that it “has made it clear that we thought that they had come up with the wrong answer”. It believes that for building societies the proposed framework could, as a result of becoming the primary capital constraint, create some perverse incentives, including diversification into higher risk assets where regulation permits. For example, the capital that has to be spent on lending £100 on a mortgage is the same as that for £100 lent unsecured for which a higher price can be charged. The announcement today comes as banks are starting to hand out fewer mortgages. According to the Bank, the number of mortgage approvals for house purchases fell to 61,267 last month, from 64,054 in August. This was the lowest level of approvals in 14 months and, excluding a pick-up in June, they have dropped in every month since February. Part of this is down to the Financial Conduct Authority’s Mortgage Market Review aimed at curbing risky lending, and part of it is attributable to worries among households about when rates will rise. Separately, the government has launched its consultation on how much power the Bank should have with respect to the housing market. This month the FPC requested a range of powers, including the ability to set a debt-to-income ratio for mortgages and control loan to value ratios. At present it can recommend only that such a limit be put in place. George Osborne said: “Ensuring the stability of the UK housing market is a crucial part of this government’s long-term economic plan, and I have been clear that the independent Bank of England should have the tools it needs to do this. That’s why the government is consulting on this issue, to ensure that we can bring forward appropriate legislation to give the Bank the powers it needs.”

Spirit to be swallowed despite delays TV networks must unite to Dominic Walsh

A £1.4 billion takeover of Spirit Pub Company by Greene King remained on track last night, despite a delay to yesterday’s expected offer. The “put up or shut up” deadline set by the Takeover Panel for 5pm was extended until Tuesday to allow the two companies to “conclude their ongoing discussions”. Despite the emergence of C&C Group, the Irish maker of Magners cider, as a possible counterbidder last week, Spirit said that it “remains willing to recommend an offer” from Greene King on the terms put forward. Under the Greene King proposal, shareholders in the Chef & Brewer operator would receive 8p in cash and 0.1322 Greene King shares for every Spirit share they hold. After yesterday’s 15p rise in Greene King’s shares to 799p, the offer would value Spirit at almost 114p, or about £750 million excluding debt.

The rise in the Greene King share price follows growing scepticism that C&C will be able to put a credible alternative on the table after its initial offer, at a similar price, but more than a third in cash, was quickly rejected. A subsequent slump in C&C’s shares has forced the drinks company to consider bringing in a partner to enable it to make an all-cash proposal, thus sidestepping the vagaries of its fluctuating share price. The Irish group’s shares ticked up €0.0187 to €3.42 while Spirit fell by ½p to 104½p. In a similar situation, Prezzo, the AIM-listed restaurant operator, announced that yesterday’s deadline for offers from its two private equity suitors had been extended until November 14. The announcement follows the revelation a month ago that the company had received separate offers from Advent International and TPG Capital worth more than £300 million. In its statement at the time, Prezzo, which has 245 restaurants, surprised

investors by revealing both approaches were “unlikely to be at a premium” to the previous night’s close of 135p. Although such nil-premium offers would not normally be welcomed, the situation is not clear cut as 57 per cent of the shares are held by the Kaye family, who recently appointed Altium Capital to canvass interest in the business. Analysts believe the family, who previously founded and sold the ASK Italian and Zizzi chains, are keen to take out the majority of their money, making it difficult to secure a premium. According to one source, the extension to the deadline is understood to have been requested “to enable Advent to get all its ducks in a row”. TPG, believed to be ready to proceed, is said to be working with David Niven, the former global chief executive of the Nando’s chicken chain. If a bid is successful, he is expected to take over from Jonathan Kaye as chief executive. Prezzo shares rose by 0.67 per cent to 131p.

fight Netflix, says Murdoch Alex Spence Media Editor

Rupert Murdoch has said that America’s TV and movie giants are planning to expand aggressively their online video presence to ward off the growing threat from Netflix and Amazon. Mr Murdoch, who runs 21st Century Fox, the media group, and News Corp, the parent company of The Times, said that the industry needs a “serious competitor” to streaming services. He told a conference hosted by The Wall Street Journal in California that Hulu, an online video service owned by 21st Century Fox, Disney-ABC and NBC Universal, would have to grow to rival the other streaming providers. “We’re all on the same page and we’re going to drive that as hard and as fast as we can,” Mr Murdoch said. “As an industry we need a competitor, a serious competitor, to Netflix and Amazon.”

Netflix has made waves by attracting 37 million subscribers to its internet service, which allows users to watch when they want. It has also invested in original productions such as House of Cards and Orange is the New Black. That growth has prompted fears among media groups that households will start “cutting the cord”, cancelling pay TV packages in favour of watching programmes over the internet instead. HBO, the cable TV channel owned by Time Warner, whose shows include Game of Thrones, Boardwalk Empire and Veep, last month launched its own on-demand internet service. The ability to bundle HBO’s soughtafter shows with content from 21st Century Fox into a subscription on-demand service is thought to have been one of the motivations behind Mr Murdoch’s unsuccessful $80 billion bid for Time Warner in the summer.

the times | Friday October 31 2014

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Business MICHAEL NAGLE/BLOOMBERG VIA GETTY IMAGES

Premium line costly at Samsung

amsung will restructure its mobile phone division after reporting a 60 per cent slide in thirdquarter profits amid fierce competition (Josephine Moulds writes). Operating profits dropped to 4.06 trillion won (£2.4 billion) in the third quarter, compared with the same period last year, to the lowest level in more than three years. Sales also fell by 20 per cent, to 47.4 trillion won, putting the South Korean tech company on track for its worst year since 2011. Earnings were hit by a steep fall in Samsung’s mobile division. The launch of Apple’s iPhone 6 damaged sales of its premium phones; while the Chinese companies Huawei, Xiaomi and Lenovo

have been undercutting Samsung with cheaper models. Its leading share in the global smartphone market slipped to 25 per cent in the third quarter, from 35 per cent a year ago,

according to Strategy Analytics. The South Korean company said that it was adopting a new strategy aimed at the mid to low-end of the smartphone market,

where growth is stronger than in premium phones. That contributed to the earnings decline, as cheaper phones ground down margins in the mobile phone unit to 7 per cent, their

Lufthansa shares nosedive amid economic turbulence David Charter Berlin

Shares in Lufthansa plummeted yesterday after Europe’s biggest airline issued its second profit warning of the year under pressure from low-cost rivals, strikes and global economic uncertainty. Carsten Spohr, the chief executive, said that operating profit next year would be only “significantly above” the €1 billion (£0.7 billion) expected for this year, compared with a previous forecast for €2 billion. Lufthansa’s stock market dive led the shares of other airlines lower despite its higher-than-expected third-quarter results, with operating profit up by 24.6 per cent to €735 million on sales of €8.46 billion. Mr Spohr vowed to stand firm in a dispute with pilots over early retirement benefits and low-cost expansion, even after eight walkouts this year that have wiped €170 million from operating profit. “These are tense times for the air industry and tense times for Lufthansa,” Mr Spohr said, citing risks from ebola and a weaker economic outlook for next year as well as the rift with pilots. “When we look ahead, we can see that the economic slowdown

and the continuing declines in our passenger yields in the face of fierce competition will affect our operating scope in the year ahead,” he added. “This is why we need to modify our projections for 2015, even though we expect it to produce an operating result that is significantly above this year’s.” The airline, which is expanding low-cost operations and reducing expenses to compete better with budget carriers and Gulf rivals, is also being affected by inflation in pension costs, swings in oil prices and foreign exchange rates. Weak European currencies mean its airlines are seeing less immediate benefit from falling fuel prices than their American rivals. Some analysts have also warned that falling oil prices can indicate a period of weak yields, a key measure of pricing for airlines, because a drop in the price of crude is often linked to a weakening of the global economy. Lufthansa shares were down by as much as 6.8 per cent, the biggest losers in the German benchmark DAX index. Air France-KLM and IAG, BA’s parent group, which reports results tomorrow, were also down. Further pilot strikes in November

and December could affect guidance, the company said. The two sides have agreed to use a mediator this week, although the Vereinigung Cockpit union, which is also opposed to efforts to expand low-cost operations, has not ruled out further strikes. “I am confident that Vereinigung Cockpit will sooner or later realise that their current attitude does more harm than good,” Mr Spohr said. “We will move on with structural changes even without agreement.” He said that Lufthansa would use other pilots from within the group that are not on expensive collective labour agreements to fly tourist routes, where the brand, which usually focuses on business travellers, is trying to reduce costs. Asked what he would do to appease the pilots, he said: “I please my employees by running a profitable airline.” Robin Byde, an analyst at Cantor Fitzgerald, said that although airlines should benefit from reduced fuel costs next year, the lowered guidance was likely related to adding more seats on long-haul routes and the resulting pressure on yields as tickets prices were lowered to try to fill aircraft.

America’s knees and hips provide big lift Tim Webb

“Stand-out” growth in hip replacements in the US sent Smith & Nephew to near the top of the FTSE 100 leader board yesterday. The UK medical device company reported a 3 per cent rise in third quarter profits compared with last year amid rising demand for knee and hip devices in America. It offset a poor performance in its wound management division, which makes products to treat chronic wounds, mainly in older people, such

as pressure sores and venous leg ulcers. Sales in the division were hit by a recall of its negative pressure wound therapy device in the US. Overall, Smith & Nephew’s third quarter profits rose to $246 million, up from $222 million last year, f rom revenues of $1.15 billion, which rose 3 per cent year on year. Sales of hip and knee replacements in Europe lagged, which the company blamed on a “packaging issue” which it has since addressed. Olivier Bohuon, the chief executive, said: “In US reconstruction, our

better performance continued with a second quarter at or above market growth, led by standout growth in hips. We still have more work to do in Europe and in advanced wound care in the US, but our track record has been established.” Sales from its advanced wound bioactives, which include ointments to treat chronic dermal ulcers and severe burns, and its sports medicine joint repair unit, grew by double digit figures in the third quarter. Shares in the Smith & Nephew closed up 9½p at £10.27½.

lowest since the company began offering smartphones. Kim Hyun Joon, senior vice president of Samsung’s mobile unit, said: “We will fundamentally reform our product portfolio, and

significantly enhance our competitiveness for each price tier.” The semiconductor business replaced mobile as the largest driver of profits for the first time in three years, accounting for 56 per cent of total operating profit. Margins in that division rose to 23 per cent, from 21 per cent a year earlier. Samsung said it “cautiously expects” earnings to increase in the fourth quarter, driven by strong demand for televisions and continued growth in its memory chip business. The division is enjoying an extended period of strong prices after consolidation in the sector, with operating profit for the period rising 10 per cent. The outlook for the mobile division remained uncertain, the company said. Analysts expect Samsung’s annual operating profit to fall by 30 per cent to 26.4 trillion won, which would be its weakest in three years. Shares in Samsung were 4.5 per cent higher in Seoul, but 20 per cent lower than last year.

FGM

Friday October 31 2014 | the times

Business Markets companies news

Robert Lea Tempus Buy, sell or hold: today’s best share tips

Heading the right way after a rough ride

North Sea oil gloom

National Express share price

300

Cashflow £150m

ack in the day, Dean Finch was the most feared franchise bidder in the rail industry. His ability to farm contracts from the Department for Transport made him at least the co-architect of FirstGroup, his employer at the time, becoming the biggest operator in the country. Irrespective of what has happened to FirstGroup since (don’t look if you are of a nervous disposition), one wonders whether Mr Finch has lost his touch. Now the chief executive of National Express, he is charged with repairing the company’s reputation after the ignominious reversals of losing the East Coast Main Line and East Anglia contracts. His record thus far: retention of the boutique Essex commuter line C2C; not picked for Crossrail; pipped for ScotRail; decided not to compete on TransPennine or Northern. Though UK rail is massively more important than National Express will let on, it does distract from the rest millennium & copthorne Profit +6.6%

Revpar +5.5%

hen hotel deals were thin on the ground, Millennium & Copthorne Hotels opted to go down the “asset-light” route and expand by securing management contracts. That enabled it to keep planting flags on the global map without spending its own cash. That strategy was always destined to struggle. M&C’s two core brands are fine enough but, in consumer awareness, they will never have the scale or cachet — or indeed the negotiating power — of a Hilton, Sheraton or Holiday Inn.

Where National Express makes its profits UK North UK rail coach America 5%

10%

37%

250

200

national express group Q3 profits up 15%

350p

2010 2011

2012 2013 2014

150

MY ADVICE Accumulate WHY Its operations give it a sound base from which to expand into new territories. It is a contender to win a new UK rail franchise in due course of the story. The company’s thirdquarter trading shows a 15 per cent uplift in profits after a first half in which £8 million disappeared from the bottom line because of rough weather in America, striking busmen in Madrid and a negative exchange on its dollar and euro revenues. That puts it on track to flatline with full-year pre-tax profits again expected to come in above £140 million both this year and next. Passenger transport companies expect to pick up contracts. The recent wins of National Express tell a story. It is running more university Kwek Leng Beng, the chairman of M&C and controlling shareholder, has always been a property man at heart. It can take three decades for a management contract to yield the sort of profit an owned hotel can produce in a year. So it is no surprise that the Singapore-based tycoon has reverted to what he knows best and started snapping up hotel assets again. Three big deals this year show he knows how to snare landmark properties in prime locations in world-leading cities: the Chelsea Harbour Hotel in London for £65 million; the Novotel New York Times Square for $273.6 million; and last month in Rome, €65.5 million

Optimism among North Sea oil operators has fallen to its lowest level since 2009 on the back of rising costs and the falling oil price, according to a survey from Oil and Gas UK, the trade body. In the third quarter it dropped by nine points to -7 on the -50 to +50 index, the first time since 2009 that it has moved into negative territory. Oonagh Werngren, Oil & Gas UK operations director, said: “A falling oil price makes it harder to attract new investment.”

aviva

Take the National Express...all human life is here

UK bus

Spain

16%

32%

coach services after a deal with Ucas, the admissions people. It will be bussing people to the new Jaguar engine factory in Wolverhampton. On the Continent it starts running the Rhine Munsterland Express soon. Its Spanish operations have moved into Tangiers. It is expanding its biggest US contracts in Boston and Memphis. And while raising an eyebrow, a bus licence in Bahrain is, it argues, a platform for expansion in the Gulf. More important, the businesses are on course to deliver free cashflow of £150 million and reduce debt by £50 million. All that is enough to suggest that a trading multiple of 12 times earnings is a bit cautious compared, say, with Stagecoach’s 15 times. You can be certain that Mr Finch is looking at how to work his old magic in the upcoming rail tenders for East Anglia, London Midland and East Midlands. It may not be a one-way street but at least National Express is headed in the right direction. for the Boscolo Palace Roma, now renamed as the Grand Hotel Palace. These helped lift revenues 7 per cent and operating profits by 12 per cent in the third quarter. The underlying picture is solid, though the strength of sterling sent nine-month profits down 6 per cent to £108 million. The key is knowing that it is a play on the property nous of Mr Kwek. At 18 times earnings, the shares are fully priced, but still a sound investment.

MY ADVICE Hold WHY Well-rated hotelier is now a property play again

Cash £1.3 billion

NAV 298p

here is a problem with investing in recovery stories. Buy in too early and the promised turnaround might not materialise and you lose your shirt. Wait too long and the shares have already posted most of their gains. Aviva is a case in point. Mark Wilson, the chief executive, is doing a sterling job reinventing Britain’s second-largest insurer as a lean, efficient cash cow, capable of pumping out the dividends. Sterling, too, is his caution about calling its recovery. Strong third-quarter numbers suggest that Aviva is on track, although the muted market reaction suggests that some investors want a bit more cashflow and a bit more growth, both Mr Wilson’s strategic priorities. The shares have risen by nearly 40 per cent since Mr Wilson took over on January 1 last year, way better than the FTSE 100, which is only 9.4 per cent higher over the period. The shares yield 3.2 per cent. Not so bad but on that parameter Legal & General or Old Mutual would be more attractive. The question is about future value. Mr Wilson is convinced that the shares do not reflect Aviva’s progress, and a hardening general insurance market suggests that might be true.

Breweries win case Pressure from family brewers to be excluded from a statutory pub code looks set to succeed after backing from MPs. The move follows the surprise inclusion in June of all operators of tied pubs in a code aimed at protecting tenants of big pubcos like Punch Taverns and Enterprise Inns. After an outcry, 11 out of 18 members of the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill committee voted out the change.

Morrisons man in court The former treasurer and head of tax at Morrisons supermarkets has appeared in court charged with two counts of insider trading. Paul Coyle appeared at Harrogate magistrates’ court. The charges relate to trading in Ocado shares between February and May 2013, before a £200 million distribution deal that was announced in May. Mr Coyle, 50, was bailed to appear at York c rown court on November 24.

MY ADVICE Buy WHY Back the management to continue to deliver recovery

Henderson wins £1.4bn Investors handed Henderson Global Investors £1.4 billion of new money to manage in the third quarter, helping to push its total assets under management to £76.6 billion. In a trading update yesterday, Henderson said that the inflow was driven by retail investors in Britain and on the Continent as well as interest among institutional players. Henderson’s shares closed 2¾p higher at 200p.

And finally . . . So convinced is Steve Parkin that his business dealing with the huge number of returns from online shopping will become a proper brand that he took one of Ireland’s richer horse races and renamed it the Clipper Boomerang Stakes. The nascent Boomerang service of the newly listed Clipper Logistics has won a big contract in the giant German market with s.Oliver, an upmarket Next. This is exactly the sort of road Clipper should be on. At 14 times next year’s earnings, it’s a bit rich in the sector but, as M&S might say, this isn’t any old trucker.

For breaking news as it happens thetimes.co.uk/ business

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3-Mth Euroswiss

2 Year Swapnote 5 Year Swapnote 10 Year Swapnote FTSE100 FTSEurofirst 80

Period Dec 14 Mar 15 Dec 14 Mar 15 Jun 15 Sep 15 Dec 15 Dec 14 Mar 15 Jun 15 Sep 15 Dec 15 Dec 14 Mar 15 Jun 15 Sep 15 Dec 14 Mar 15 Dec 14 Mar 15 Dec 14 Mar 15 Dec 14 Mar 15 Dec 14 Mar 15

Open 115.05 99.420 99.340 99.220 99.040 98.860 99.895 99.895 99.900 99.890 99.870 100.03 100.07 100.10 100.11 111.51 127.15 146.50 6422.5 6305.0 3924.5

High 115.61 60.500 99.430 99.350 99.220 99.070 98.900 99.900 99.905 99.910 99.905 99.890 100.04 100.07 100.10 100.11 111.53 111.56 127.31 100.00 147.04 100.00 6469.5 6408.0 3924.5

Commodities Low 114.87 53.420 99.410 99.320 99.190 99.020 98.840 99.890 99.890 99.900 99.890 99.870 100.02 100.06 100.08 100.10 111.51 111.55 127.15 100.00 146.50 100.00 6355.5 6305.0 3924.5

Sett 115.33 115.33 99.420 99.340 99.210 99.050 98.880 99.895 99.900 99.905 99.900 99.885 100.04 100.07 100.10 100.11 111.52 111.52 127.27 127.27 146.99 146.99 6433.0 6378.5 4004.5 4005.5

Vol 151228 806 38317 39051 61464 64051 68544 32957 35008 21422 20592 18436 3752 8100 3054 2099 2753 104 596 3 212 3 99944 53 1

Open Int 397444 432157 363590 468330 306922 331309 475996 393529 341884 291061 298365 67665 73993 47150 26893 22376 9889 5170 556080 8792 76

Feb

ICIS pricing (London 7.30pm) Crude Oils ($/barrel FOB) Brent Physical Brent 25 day (Jan) Brent 25 day (Feb) W Texas Intermed (Jan) W Texas Intermed (Feb)

85.50 86.60 86.10 80.90 81.10

-0.85 -0.90 -0.90 -1.05 -1.10

Products ($/MT) 794.00 751.00 449.25 692.00

794.00 753.00 449.50 694.00

-8.75 -10.50 -3.25 -11.00

746.50-745.75 746.75-746.50 748.25-748.00

Brent (9.00pm) Dec 86.05-86.01 Jan 86.53-86.48

Cocoa Dec Mar May Jul Sep Dec

unq unq unq unq unq unq

Mar May Jul

Nov Jan Mar May

unq unq unq unq

Jul Sep

unq unq unq Volume: 27912

Feb Mar

773.50-751.00 unq Volume: 219437

Mar Apr

88.34-87.05 92.50-83.90

unq unq Volume: 16652

White Sugar (FOB) Reuters

ICE Futures Gas Oil Nov Dec Jan

Volume: 694459

RobustaCoffee

Spot CIF NW Europe (prompt delivery) Premium Unld Gasoil EEC 3.5 Fuel Oil Naphtha

87.20-86.89

LIFFE

Dec Mar May

unq unq unq

Aug Oct Dec Mar

unq unq unq unq Volume: 13017

124.55 130.35

Mar 126.25 Volume: 540

London Grain Futures LIFFE Wheat (close £/t) Nov May

121.75 128.80

Jan Jul

the times | Friday October 31 2014

FGM

Markets Business

YOUNG PEOPLE/REUTERS

Afren’s slide gathers pace as stronger dollar takes toll Gary Parkinson Market report

t has been three months that Afren shareholders will want to bleach from their memories. Since the end of July, the value of their investment in the oil and gas exploration company that focuses on Africa has nearly halved, retreating a further 15.6 per cent yesterday. The precipitous decline was prompted by the suspension, and subsequent dismissal, of its chief executive, its chief operating officer and two other directors after an independent investigation by Willkie Farr & Gallagher, the law firm, found evidence of unauthorised payments from a Nigerian oil producer. Then a production update came yesterday. Delays at projects in Nigeria and the possibility that the company

flotation

Sharks owner snaps up £32m The latest float from Zeus Capital debuted on AIM. Entu, a Manchester-based green energy outfit controlled by Brian Kennedy, the owner of the Sale Sharks premiership rugby union side, raised more than £32 million by selling shares. They were priced at 100p, the level favoured by Zeus, its broker, also based in Manchester, to make it easier for investors chasing income to tot up their yield, in this case, as with two previous Zeus floats, Conviviality Retail and Safestyle, by 8 per cent.

Wall Street report Solid quarterly results from a range of big companies propelled the stock market higher. Shares in Visa leapt by 10 per cent as the Dow Jones industrial average added 221.1 points to close at 17,195.42 and the S&P 500 rose by 12.35 to 1,994.65.

Vietnam plans global bond issue

s another shopping mall and apartment block takes shape in Hanoi, Vietnam plans to raise $1 billion from its first global sovereign bond in more than four years.

AHDB meat services Average fatstock prices at representative markets (p/kg lw) Pig Lamb Cattle GB 107.76 160.98 183.87 (+/-) +7.49 +5.76 +3.53 Eng/Wales (+/-) Scotland (+/-)

107.76 +7.49

161.37 +5.93

184.20 +4.77

unq

157.62 +3.89

178.96 -21.84

London Metal Exchange (Official) Cash

3mth

15mth

Copper Gde A ($/tonne) 6784.5-6785.0 6704.0-6706.0

7310.0-7320.0

Lead ($/tonne) 2003.5-2004.0

2015.0-2017.0

1980.0-1985.0

Zinc Spec Hi Gde ($/tonne) 2282.0-2283.0 2282.0-2283.0

1943.0-1948.0

Tin ($/tonne) 19920.0-19930.0

19975.0-20000.0

Alum Hi Gde ($/tonne) 2015.0-2015.5 2010.0-2011.0 Nickel ($/tonne) 15300.0-15325.0 15390.0-15400.0

19995.0-20045.0 2280.0-2285.0 18770.0-18870.0

The finance ministry has hired HSBC and Standard Chartered, along with Deutsche Bank, to meet potential investors in London, America, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Gold/Precious metals (US dollars per ounce) Bullion: Open $1212.60 Close $1199.29-1199.95 High $1215.50 Low $1196.10 AM $1205.75 PM $1202.00 Krugerrand $1187.00-1260.00 (£741.77-787.39) Platinum $1247.00 (£779.26) Silver $16.49 (£10.31) Palladium $785.00 (£490.55)

might need to restate Milan and Madrid eked out historical financial similarly modest gains, while information dispatched the London was underpinned by follow us shares a further 14½p lower well-received updates from on twitter to 78¾p, at the foot of the the likes of Smith for updates FTSE 250 and at their @timesbusiness & Nephew, the artificial hip cheapest in nearly three years. maker 36p better at £10.54, True, it was a horrible day and St James’s Place, the for resources shares generally wealth manager, up 24½p at 712½p. after the Fed ended QE3 — its However, concerns about enormous share-friendly economic competition had BT retreating 7½p to stimulus spending programme — as 368p in spite of quarterly earnings a expected but hinted that interest rates touch better than the City expected, in America could rise sooner than and Imagination Technologies losing markets were expecting. 15½p to 191p after Numis downgraded. Exacerbated by the robust US In Germany, Lufthansa pared its economic data that followed, the 2015 profit guidance because of the dollar spiked, gold and copper priced weak economy and falling ticket in bucks fell, as did oil. Mining and oil prices. Enough to keep International and gas shares followed, limiting Consolidated Airlines Group, which gains by stock markets across Europe owns British Airways and Iberia, inspired by decent enough company under pressure for most of the day, updates. though a late rally left the shares up The FTSE 100, under water for 5½p at 390¾p. most of the day, eventually managed An upbeat statement to to come up for air, edging 9.68 points shareholders at its annual meeting higher to 6,463.55. Paris and Frankfurt, spurred Redde more than 4 per cent

Dollar rates Australia Canada Denmark Euro Hong Kong Japan Malaysia Norway Singapore Sweden Switzerland

1.1328-1.1330 1.1189-1.1193 5.9025-5.9050 0.7929-0.7930 7.7559-7.7560 109.33-109.33 3.2818-3.2833 6.7017-6.7069 1.2774-1.2776 7.3421-7.3471 0.9559-0.9562

Argentina peso Australia dollar Bahrain dinar Brazil real Euro Hong Kong dollar India rupee Indonesia rupiah Kuwait dinar KD Malaysia ringgit New Zealand dollar Singapore dollar S Africa rand U A E dirham

13.598-13.609 1.8128-1.8130 0.5995-0.6071 3.8268-3.8428 1.2689-1.2692 12.411-12.412 98.218-98.422 19071-19655 0.4620-0.4645 5.1502-5.3532 2.0410-2.0416 2.0438-2.0444 17.389-17.404 5.8743-5.8807

2 mth

3 mth

1mth

3mth

6mth

12mth

0.10

0.15

0.23

0.48

0.51

0.55

0.69

1.00

-0.15

-0.06

0.04

0.22

Sterling Euro

6 mth

12 mth

0.5069

0.5296

0.5546

0.6920

1.0028

Clearer CDs

0.58-0.43

0.60-0.45

0.65-0.50

0.80-0.65

1.08-0.93

Depo CDs

0.58-0.43

0.60-0.45

0.65-0.50

0.80-0.65

1.08-0.93

Eurodollar Deps

0.15-0.25

0.18-0.28

0.22-0.32

0.31-0.48

0.59-0.69

Eurodollar CDs

0.15-0.08

0.18-0.12

0.22-0.15

0.36-0.21

0.52-0.38

Sterling spot and forward rates

Dollar

to 75½p. This is the accident support group formerly known as Helphire, backed by Neil Woodford, the star fund manager. More than 23 per cent lower at ¼p, Union Jack Oil plugged and abandoned a dry exploration well in which it held a 10 per cent interest, its first at Burton on the Wolds in Leicestershire. Disappointing, SP Angel told clients, but it was a well that it reckoned was worth only 5 per cent of the company’s total value. Castleton Technology, an IT company 15.4 per cent higher at 1½p, raised £5.5 million by selling new shares to investors at 1.1p each through finnCap, the broker, to pay for its acquisition of Documotive, a supplier of software to the social housing sector. Finally, a few days after a decent operational update, Falanx jumped a further 17.7 per cent to 45p when a prolonged seller of shares in the security consultancy was finally cleared.

Money rates %

1 mth

Currency

After the first day of trading, they closed at 103½p, valuing the supplier of smart boilers and solar panels above £65 million. Mr Kennedy halved his 60 per cent stake in Entu, as did Ian

Base Rates Clearing Banks 0.5 Finance House 1.0 ECB Refi 0.05 US Fed Fund 0-0.25 Halifax Mortgage Rate 3.5 Treasury Bills (Dis) Buy: 1 mth 0.32; 3 mth 0.40. Sell: 1 mth 0.31; 3 mth 0.36

Interbank Rates

European money deposits %

Brian Kennedy, who owns Sale Sharks, sold half his stake in Entu

Mkt Rates for Copenhagen Euro Montreal New York Oslo Stockholm Tokyo Zurich

Range 9.4165-9.4684 1.2721-1.2653 1.7857-1.7944 1.5960-1.6037 10.708-10.779 11.634-11.823 173.99-174.96 1.5255-1.5335

Close 9.4472-9.4476 1.2690-1.2688 1.7909-1.7911 1.6002-1.6002 10.724-10.732 11.748-11.758 174.94-174.96 1.5294-1.5304

1 month 41ds 4pr 9pr 4ds 84pr 38ds 8ds 7ds Premium = pr

3 month 136ds 11pr 28pr 12ds 251pr 115ds 32ds 26ds Discount = ds

Other Sterling

Blackhurst, the chief executive, and Darren Cornwall, the finance director. Zeus, led by John Goold and Tim Metcalfe as joint chief executives, is a regional broker making a splash in smaller company stockbroking in London, and riding high on the wave of flotations in the past year. Its business is largely in helping companies to raise money, nearly £1 billion in total for a dozen of them over the past 15 months. Expect more before the year’s end.

Exchange rates Australia $ Canada $ Denmark Kr Egypt Euro ¤ Hong Kong $ Hungary Indonesia Israel Shk Japan Yen New Zealand $ Norway Kr Poland Russia S Africa Rd Sweden Kr Switzerland Fr Turkey Lira USA $

Bank buys Bank sells 1.980 1.720 1.960 1.700 10.130 8.880 12.730 10.130 1.380 1.210 13.460 11.840 430.190 353.930 22445.800 17904.000 6.630 6.025 188.740 163.460 2.270 1.920 11.670 10.090 5.900 4.830 74.650 62.170 19.440 16.460 12.590 11.190 1.680 1.450 4.000 3.200 1.760 1.550

Rates for banknotes and traveller's cheques as traded by Royal Bank of Scotland plc yesterday

Data as shown is for information purposes only. No offer is made by Morningstar or this publication

FGM

Friday October 31 2014 | the times

Colin Shaw

Lives remembered

BBC executive who had to monitor standards in the 1970s and answer Mary Whitehouse’s letters

Colin Shaw was the quiet and diplomatic chief secretary of the BBC who, in the 1970s, engaged in vigorous debate with the public over the acceptable level of nudity, violence and bad language on mainstream television. His natural tact was deployed to the fore in a lengthy correspondence with Mary Whitehouse (obituary, November 24, 2001), the Christian housewife with a rock-solid hairdo who waged war on the “permissive society”, blaming its spread, in large part, on the BBC. Notorious for seeing “filth” in unlikely places and an excess of violence in the cartoon Tom and Jerry, Whitehouse founded the “Clean Up TV” campaign. She was denounced in Pigs, a song by Pink Floyd, as “a house proud town mouse . . . all tight lips and cold feet”. Many BBC executives thought her complaints archaic, a social irrelevance. Shaw, in contrast, replied to Whitehouse with unfailing courtesy, and more than a splash of quiet wit. Responding, for instance, to a letter from Whitehouse protesting at the use of the word “bastard”, Shaw remarked drily: “While sympathy is felt towards those who have personally suffered the consequences of illegitimacy, it is not thought that an outright ban on the use of the word ‘bastard’ is practicable. “Like many other words, its force is undergoing a change and you may have

He refused to let his young daughters read Enid Blyton’s books noticed that there is currently advertised a feature film called A Town Called Bastard. This film is being advertised on the sides of London buses, some indication of the way in which attitudes have changed.” He concluded: “Nevertheless, the word is not one which is used lightly in programmes, but there are some occasions when it arises quite naturally in a piece of dialogue.” In November 1970 they tussled again, this time, according to the Channel 4 programme Ban This Filth! Letters from the Mary Whitehouse Archive, over nudity in BBC drama. Shaw pointed that nude bodies had been “a feature of art for a great many years”, remarking “no one could describe Michelangelo’s ‘David’ as an unseemly work”, although he conceded the difference between a ‘static’ nude in a piece of art and the use of nudity in a play. And when Whitehouse accused the comedian Dave Allen of blasphemy, Shaw commented that, as a practising Catholic, Allen might be trusted to judge what constituted blasphemy, adding that it was a “well-known tradition” that “the best st jokes” against religion were told in convents and monasteries. Shaw did once walk out of a play that had been condemned by Whitehouse. He had attended The Romans in Britain with his daughter. Shaw was also a playwright himself

Raleigh Trevelyan TIMES NEWSPAPERS LTD

John Powell writes: Your obituary of Raleigh Trevelyan (Oct 29) rightly mentions that he joined the Rifle Brigade and fought at Anzio, the subject of The Fortress, one of the most vivid tales of ordinary men in action from the Second World War. However, to his initial irritation he was seconded to another regiment, the Green Howards, and fought in that grimmest of beachheads, in conditions little better than the western front in 1917. Other Green Howard officers who had served in this battalion were two famous Yorkshire and England cricketers, Hedley Verity (died of wounds in Sicily) and Norman Yardley (wounded in Italy); it was not a dull crowd. In the break out from Anzio to cross the Molleta River, when Trevelyan was wounded in a bayonet charge, a German parachutist was captured and paid this tribute: “Your men came in shouting and laughing to attack us. What can one do against men like these?”

Ben Bradlee

Shaw’s adversary, Mary Whitehouse, delivering a petition in 1973; her letters were always answered courteously

Featuring scenes of homosexual rape, it had once been the subject of an unsuccessful prosecution by Whitehouse. As a playwright himself — chiefly of radio plays — Shaw was largely in sympathy with the impulse of playwrights to experiment, writing a nuanced report on whether BBC drama was, as some members of the public had claimed, too left-wing. He pointed out that political drama was but a tiny segment of BBC output, then typified by a rich crop of new and popular programmes, including That’s Life (1973), Porridge (1974) and I, Claudius (1976). Yet it was not all golden: BBC coverage of Northern Ireland and later the Falklands War led to tense stand-offs with the government, and, as secretary, Shaw had to handle brittle negotiations over the BBC licence fee, often settled year-onyear in an era of ye

rising inflation. His role as chief secretary, which no longer exists, was once described as being “the conscience” of the BBC and Shaw was deeply aware of the need to chart the public mood on the use of language, violence and sexuality on television. He later founded and directed the Broadcasting Standards Council. Sir David Attenborough described Shaw as “very efficient, meticulous in all details and very diplomatic with an extraordinary ability to phrase letters”. Colin Don Shaw was born in Liverpool in 1928, the son of a bank manager. His mother died young. As a teenager, he bred prize rabbits. He studied English at St Peter’s College, Oxford. In 1953 he joined BBC Radio as a drama producer in Leeds, and met his wife, Elizabeth Bowker, while on a BBC staff training course. They were married in Haywards Heath in 1955 and had a son, who now works in the hotel trade, and twin daughters: one is a librarian at Oxford, another works in the voluntary sector. As a parent, he refused to allow his daughters to read Enid Blyton, saying it would never improve their vocabulary. In 1960, Shaw was called to the Bar; his legal training provided a formidable tool for future managerial roles. Sir Paul Fox, the former managing director of BBC TV, said: “If you had a problem you could go to Shaw and he wouldn’t come up with a snap answer — it was his lawyer’s training. He would reason it out for you.” In 1969, Shaw was appointed secretary to the BBC, becoming chief secretary in 1972. He left the BBC in

1977 to become director of television at the recently formed Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA), which was responsible for regulating commercial and regional television. It was an exciting time, as the IBA developed slow-motion filmography and new techniques to diversify the sources of sound. Again, Shaw had a key role in arbitrating what was decent. Barbara Hosking, an IBA colleague, recalls “arguments over how much blood could be shown on the news”, as well as Shaw’s quick wit and “beautiful” voice. In 1993 he was appointed CBE for services to broadcasting. He was a governor of the English Speaking Union from 1977 to 1983 and, in 1987, was elected a Fellow of the Royal Television Society. He also wrote two books on broadcasting standards, Deciding What We Watch: Taste, Decency and Media Ethics in the UK and the USA (1999) and Accountability and the Public Interest in Broadcasting (2009). In retirement, he took pleasure in watching red kites from his garden, and once arranged to fly to Scotland with his grandchildren to watch the penguins in Edinburgh Zoo. He died of pneumonia but was suffering from a form of motor neurone disease. A meticulous and patient man, Shaw tried to go to the theatre as often as he could, at least once a fortnight, sometimes every week — and he always kept the programmes. Colin Shaw, CBE, chief secretary of the BBC, was born on November 2, 1928. He died on September 18, 2014, aged 85

Garry Lloyd writes: As a reporter with The Times in l970 I won a World Press Institute fellowship to the US. It included an internship with the Washington Post. Ben Bradlee (obituary, Oct 23) personally welcomed me into their newsroom. He gave me a seat on the foreign desk and daily admittance to news conference, exclusively for department editors, to decide the news agenda. Watergate had yet to surface. He told them I was to have freedom to accompany any of his journalists on assignment. So I attended briefings at the White House (including the Oval Office), Pentagon, Supreme Court and Capitol Hill. I followed debates in Senate and Congress. Ben Bradlee was courtesy itself — lean, vigorous, good-looking, straight out of central casting. He was abreast of every nuance of the news.

AH Halsey Harry Judge writes: In conversations I was able to have with him in the last few days of his life, Chelly Halsey (obituary, Oct 24) made it clear that he was still actively reflecting on the farewell essay that he wished to write. It was equally clear that, on such fundamental issues as equality and social class, nothing would disturb his deepest convictions. But he was typically anxious that his strongly expressed views should continue to take account of all recent scholarship, and to that end was proposing to ask a colleague for a reading list to guide him. If you would like to add a personal view or @ recollection to a published obituary, you

can send your contribution by post to Times Obituaries, 1 London Bridge Street, London SE1 9GF, or by email to tributes@thetimes.co.uk

the times | Friday October 31 2014

FGM

Alfred Wertheimer

Photographer who toured the US with a young Elvis Presley and documented his rise to fame in more than 2,000 images HANNELORE FOERSTER / GETTY; ALFRED WERTHEIMER, TASCHEN/AP

When Alfred Wertheimer was assigned in 1956 to photograph a 21-year-old singer for some record company publicity shots, he had never heard of Elvis Presley. He had even less notion that it was to be the shoot of his life. A struggling 26-year-old freelance, he was asked to attend the recording of the television programme Stage Show at New York’s Studio 5. He assumed his subjects were to be the show’s headliners and presenters, Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey. When he was told by the head of PR that he was being commissioned to photograph Elvis, there was a long pause before he asked “Elvis who?” But he accepted the assignment; “I worked cheap, and she had a limited budget,” he said later. It was Presley’s first national TV appearance. He had by then recorded Heartbreak Hotel and was about to become a star; but he was not yet subject to the controlling army of managers and agents that come with celebrity and so Wertheimer was allowed access. The result was a portfolio of pictures that not only showed Presley more inti-

When he was asked to photograph Elvis, he replied, ‘Elvis who?’

Wertheimer, pictured in August, captured Presley kissing a fan, below. The moment lasted only a tenth of a second

mately than he would ever be seen again but which documented a pivotal moment in the history of rock’n’roll. The singer and photographer got on well and Wertheimer continued to follow Presley around at his own expense. Over the next two years, he spent a total of ten days with Presley, taking more than 2,500 photographs. He shot the singer on stage and in the studio recording Hound Dog and Don’t Be Cruel; but just as significantly, he was given unlimited access to the singer off-duty, too, and captured him with family, taking a backstage nap, reading letters, shopping, combing his hair, shaving in a hotel bathroom and, in one famous image, stealing a kiss from a fan. “I put him under my microscope and studied him, only my microscope was my camera lens,” Wertheimer said.

“Elvis was unique in that he permitted closeness, not six to eight feet away, which was standard, but right up close, three to four feet away. He was so intensely involved with what he was doing: it was as if he were laser focused. I think in the back of his mind he felt, ‘One of these days I’m going to get famous. And if there’s no one here to record me, how is anybody going to know what I did?’” The memorable “kiss picture” was taken when Presley playfully cornered a young woman in a narrow stairwell backstage at a concert in Richmond, Virginia, in 1956 while 3,000 were waiting in the auditorium for him to perform. “I heard her say, ‘I’ll bet you can’t kiss me, Elvis’, and she sticks out her tongue. Then he decides to stick his tongue out. It actually lasted for about one-tenth of

a second, but I’ve been talking about it ever since,” Wertheimer recalled more than half a century later. His association with Presley ended as suddenly as it had begun. When the singer was conscripted into the US army in 1958, Wertheimer was there to photograph him as he left for Germany on the troop ship General George M Randall. He never saw Presley again; when the singer returned to the US in 1960, he was placed firmly under the control of the Hollywood star system. Surprisingly, Wertheimer reported that there was no further interest in his pictures until the singer’s death in 1977. “For 19 years I did not get one single phone call for an Elvis Presley photograph,” he said. “But from that moment on, the phone hasn’t stopped ringing.” His black and white prints of Presley have since been the subject of exhibitions, appearing in private art galleries and published in art books. Wertheimer was born in 1929, in Coburg, Germany, where his father was a butcher in a kosher delicatessen. The family fled the Nazi regime for America in 1936 and he grew up in New York, where he took a degree in advertising design. After military service he worked as an assistant to the fashion photographer Tom Palumbo before turning freelance in 1955. He continued to freelance for the rest of his life; Eleanor Roosevelt and Nina Simone were among his other subjects. He also worked as a cinematographer on several notable films, including The Making Of The President, which documented Kennedy’s election in 1960, and Mike Wadleigh’s Woodstock festival documentary. He never married and has no surviving relatives. “Elvis keeps me young,” he said in 2010. “Every time I pore over those negatives I discover something new.” Priscilla Presley, the singer’s ex-wife, said: “There has been no other photographer that Elvis ever allowed to get as up close and personal in his life through photos as he did with Alfred.” Alfred Wertheimer, photographer, was born on November 16, 1929. He died on October 19, 2014, aged 84

Professor Merton Sandler Neuroscientist who showed links between depression and chemical imbalances and researched migraines with wine at breakfast The development of modern-day anti-depressants owes much to the work of Professor Merton Sandler. He discovered a crucial link between depression and the deficiency in monoamine chemicals in the brain. It was 1959, a time when most psychiatry was psychoanalytic. Sandler and his colleague, Mike Pare, discovered that boosting the levels of monoamines such as serotonin, noradrenaline and dopamine — by blocking the enzyme that inhibited them — resulted in a significant improvement in the mood of the patient. Fellow researchers loved him for his sharp intellect, sparkling wit and hilarious (sometimes obscene) afterdinner speeches. He revelled in glamorous trips abroad and arguably conducted his best brainstorming with colleagues under a palm tree in the Caribbean or on the beach in Sardinia; he collaborated with a network of neuroscientists across the US, Europe, India, Japan, Australia and Israel. Born in Salford in 1926, Merton Sandler grew up in a Jewish family. He gained a scholarship to Manchester Grammar School and later studied medicine at Manchester University. Over the years he developed an

Sandler studied aggressive prisoners

unorthodox approach to scientific research. In the 1950s, during his days as a young pathologist doing military service in Shorncliffe on the south coast, he and Pare convinced crossChannel swimmers to give them urine samples — all in the name of research,

specifically on platelets. At his laboratory at Queen Charlotte’s Hospital (where he was a consultant in the Sixties and Seventies), Sandler ordered his team to down either vodka or cooled red wine at breakfast time, by way of investigating theories on migraine triggers. On another occasion he selfmedicated as part of an experiment, taking a drug called reserpine that made him depressed, paranoid and aggressive for a month. Sandler was appointed professor of chemical pathology in 1973 at the University of London, a post he held until 1991. He produced influential work on a range of conditions, including alcoholism and schizophrenia. Over decades of research he discovered a safe and effective treatment for Parkinson’s disease in the substance deprenyl — a drug still widely in use today. He recalled once smuggling a kilo of the drug — a white powdery substance — back from Hungary in the pockets of a dirty mackintosh on a hot day. When he and his team prepared to publish their work on how it could be used to treat Parkinson’s, they had some serious questions to answer from the ethics committee. His research also took him to

Wormwood Scrubs prison in London, where he met particularly aggressive inmates, psychopaths and those with mental health issues. After running a series of tests to gauge the different levels of chemicals in the brain, Sandler and his team discovered tribulin — a compound which was specific to violent and abusive criminals. It sparked a media frenzy and the prison was concerned about unwanted attention. To his frustration, Sandler’s access to the inmates was withdrawn until a fortunate encounter at a dinner party one evening with Norman Fowler, then the minister for transport. After Sandler complained about the turn of events Fowler promptly spoke to his good friend the home secretary. Within a matter of weeks Sandler’s regular visits to the prison resumed. He was a wise and kindly man who was prepared to use his influence to support unpopular causes. He was instrumental in setting up the Association of Post-Natal Illness (APNI) in the late 1970s, at a time when depression bore stigma and postnatal illness was viewed as unforgiveable. During years of Soviet anti-Semitic persecution, Sandler helped a number of Jewish neuroscientists to leave the country

and settle in the west. Both the Russians and the British investigated him for spying. Sandler was a founding member of the British Association of Psychopharmacologists. Among the awards recognising his work were the Anna Monika Prize for research into the biological aspects of depression, a gold medal from the British Migraine Association and the CINP (International College of Neuropsychopharmacology) Pioneer Award for his lifetime contribution to monoamine studies. He is survived by his wife Lorna (née Grenby), an interpreter whom he married in 1961, together with their four children: Martin and Livy, both lawyers; Nick, a food writer; and Dido, a financial journalist. To his colleagues, “the Prof” was a formidable force in neuroscientific research. Many of his former students now occupy their own chairs and academic posts — with a profound sense of gratitude for the lessons he taught them. Professor Merton Sandler, chemical pathologist and biological psychiatrist, was born on March 28, 1926. He died on August 24, 2014, aged 88

FGM

Friday October 31 2014 | the times

Television & Radio/Announcements

Today’s television BBC ONE

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Today’s radio

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the times.co.uk/announcements

the times | Friday October 31 2014

FGM

Games Bridge Andrew Robson

Word Watching Paul Dunn

You cannot make any extra tricks – over and above your top tricks – with any of these suits: (a) ♠ A752 facing ♠ K4 (b) ♦KQ3 facing ♦A96 (c) ♣K3 facing ♣AQ64 So (unless you are trying to get infor-

mation about the shapes of the opposing hands to help you to play other more interesting suits) do not play on these

suits. Not until much later, when the top tricks from these suits will bring you to your contract. The following suits may look less appealing, but (say in a fiddly 1NT contract), they represent far better suits to develop: (d) ♥Q10 facing ♥J932 (e) ♠ J863 facing ♠ 109

If you stay clear of these suits, you will make precisely no tricks from either. However look at their sequential nature (the key word). (d). Using ♥Q and ♥10 to force out ♥K and ♥A, you will promote ♥J9: regardless of which opponent holds ♥A and ♥K and regardless of the opposing split. (e). Similarly, use ♠ 109, then ♠ J/♠ 8, to force out ♠ AKQ, promoting one trick: regardless of which opponent holds ♠ AKQ and regardless of the split. An opponent could have ♠ AKQ7542 and you’d still make a trick. Eventually. And that’s the issue. These suits need time, for you have to lose the lead twice on (d) or thrice on (e). So start early.

Foible a. To season mildly b. Part of a blade c. Chopped liver Loonie a. A wading bird b. Canadian money c. A velvet cloak Vatic a. Oracular b. Fatuous c. A sour milk drink

Dealer: South, Vulnerability: Neither

♠A 7 2 ♥A 8 2 ♦8 7 3 ♣J 9 5 2

22 - Only Play on Suits with possibilities for Extra Tricks

♠J 9 6 5 N ♥K J 4 ♦J 10 9 6 W S E ♣K 4 ♠ K 8 4 3 ♥7 6 3 ♦A KQ 2 ♣10 8 S 1NT

W end

♠ Q 10 ♥Q 10 9 5 ♦5 4 ♣AQ 7 6 3

One of the most famous tactical operations in chess is known as the windmill. It occurs normally when the winning side can align rook and bishop to deliver a repeated sequence of checks and discovered checks to the opposing king, during the course of which the victorious rook can either deliver checkmate or massacre hecatombs of the opposing army. The most celebrated example of this occurs in today’s Winning Move. Meanwhile a windmill variation also arises in today’s impressive game from the Las Vegas Millionaire Chess Open. White: Wesley So Black: Robert Perez Millionaire Chess Open, Las Vegas 2014 King’s Indian Defence, Pseudo Saemisch Variation 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 f3 Nc6 4 d5 Ne5 5 e4 d6 6 Nc3 Bg7 7 f4 Ned7 Black has conducted the opening in extreme hypermodern style, encouraging White to form a massive centre. 8 Nh3 A highly unusual development of the knight in such positions, especially since 8 Nf3 is extremely natural. The idea is to meet 8 ... Nc5 with 9 Nf2, protecting the epawn and making it hard for Black to find a means of counterattacking in the centre. 8 ... e5 9 dxe6 fxe6 10 Be3 0-0 11 Be2 b6 12 0-0 Bb7 13 Bf3 Rb8 14 Qc2 Qe7 15 Rae1 a6 16 Kh1 Kh8 17 Bc1 Ng8 18 b3 Nh6 19 Bb2 Nf7 20 g3 Nd8

Contract: 1NT, Opening Lead: ♦J

West led ♦J – top of a sequence of three touching cards prioritising over fourth highest – and declarer won ♦Q and counted six top tricks: ♠ AK, ♥A and ♦AKQ. Yet to cash any one of those top tricks would see him be unable to make a seventh. His very worst play would be (♥3 to) ♥A – setting up the opposing hearts. ♦AK would be next worst – for he knows from West leading the suit that the suit cannot be splitting 3-3. Spades could be splitting 3-3, in which case playing on spades would give him a seventh trick via a long card, but a 3-3 split occurs 36% of the time ie it’s not very likely. Clubs is the suit to broach – look at your four-card sequence. Any other play at trick two and down you go. Trick two goes ♣10, ♣K, ♣2, ♣3. You win (say) ♦10 with ♦K and lead ♣8 to East’s ♣Q. You win his (say) ♥10 with ♥A and lead ♣J. Let East win ♣A and the defence cash three hearts, for you can win any return, cross to ♠ A and enjoy promoted ♣9. Seven tricks. andrew.robson@thetimes.co.uk

The problem with Black’s setup is that he has absolutely no active plan at all and can only tread water. 21 Bg2 Nc6 Black’s gets careless during his endless meandering and allows a tactical strike. 22 Nd5 Qd8 This permits the white pieces to flood in but after 22 ... exd5 23 exd5 Nce5 White can continue 24 Ng1, planning Nf3 with very strong threats. 23 Ng5 Nc5 24 b4 h6 25 Nf3 Nd7 26 Nh4 exd5 27 exd5 Nxb4 28 Nxg6+ Kg8

________ á 4 1 4kD] àDb0nD g ] ßp0 0 DN0] ÞD DPD D ] Ý hPD ) D] ÜD D D ) ] ÛPGQD DB)] ÚD D $RDK] ÁÂÃÄÅÆÇÈ

29 Ne7+ Black resigns 29 ... Kh8 30 Bxg7+ Kxg7 31 Qg6+ Kh8 32 Qxh6 is mate. Meanwhile 29 ... Qxe7 30 Rxe7 Nxc2 leads to the windmill: 31 Rxg7+ Kh8 32 Rxd7+ Kg8 33 Rg7+ Kh8 34 Rg4+ Kh7 35 Be4+ mating. The games from the FIDE Grand Prix in Tashkent, featuring the fabulous Fabiano Caruana, can be followed in real time via the 2seeitlive link on the header of The Times twitter feed @times_chess. For regular updates direct to your twitter account just click on the “follow” button.

________ árD DrhkD] Winning Move à0bD Dp0 ] ß D 0pD 0] White to play. This position is from TorreMoscow 1925. ÞDqD D GQ] Lasker, Can you see how White set up a windmill Ý ) ) D D] attack which enabled him to reach an ÜD D H $ ] endgame with a mass of extra material? ÛPD D )P)] For up-to-the-minute information follow ÚD D $ I ] my tweets on twitter.com/times_chess. ÁÂÃÄÅÆÇÈ Solution right

T2 CROSSWORD No 6546 Times Quick Crossword

Chess Raymond Keene The windmill

Sudoku No 6921

11 12

15 16

20 21

Deadly 56min

Rotating engine part (10) Tropical storm (7) Fragrant resin (5) Meaningless talk (4) Hold (someone) back (8) Type of bracelet (6) Make changes to (6) Capital of Australia (8)

Solution to Crossword 6545 L S BRA VUR E M B DE BUG S E B ENE A U R RO L L ER A G BRAMB L I R R A B I DE A W

Across

B A A B R B BRA E D I C H B L A R S E U A B CA L H E

E V T D M I

A BOP L R ADO T B I NE V D E E B E L A B BRE E

18 21 22 23

Precipitation (4) Wear away (5) Tropical storm (7) The —, ballet by Tchaikovsky (10)

2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Castor oil plant poison (5) Inert gas (4) Drunk; cooked (6) Let in (8) Destructive vortex (7) Remarkable thing (10) Protective frame on the front of some trains (10) 12 Showing deep respect (8) 14 Rain-bringing weather feature (7) 16 Volcano’s mouth (6) 19 House, home (5) 20 Long narrative poem (4)

Fill the grid so that every column, every row and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 to 9. The digits within the cells joined by the dotted lines add up to the printed top left hand figure. Within each dotted line ‘shape’, a digit CANNOT be repeated.

Codeword

No 2230

Numbers are substituted for letters in the crossword grid. Below the grid is the key. Some letters are solved. When you have completed your first word or phrase you will have the clues to more letters. Enter them in the key grid and the main grid and check the letters on the alphabet list as you complete them.

18 23

16 1

11 8

2 19

15 23

4 1 10 13

12 9 21

19 23

2 8

Winning Move solution

Foible (b) The most vulnerable part of a sword’s blade, from the middle to the tip. Loonie (b) A slang name for the Canadian dollar. Vatic (a) Oracular, characteristic of a prophet, from Latin vates, prophet.

Word Watching answers

2 17

Yesterday’s answers bagpipe, bagpiper, barge, berg, brag, brig, gape, gaper, garb, gear, gibe, grab, grape, grip, gripe, grippe, page, pager, pagri, parge, prig, rage

How you rate 18 words, average; 24, good; 29, very good; 35, excellent

16 4

Down

Check today’s answers by ringing 09067 577188. Calls cost 77p per minute.

Polygon From these letters, make words of four or more letters, always including the central letter. Answers must be in the Concise Oxford Dictionary, excluding capitalised words, plurals, conjugated verbs (past tense etc), adverbs ending in LY, comparatives and superlatives.

Killer No 3982

1 8 9 10 11 13 15 17

Fill the grid so that every column, every row and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 to 9 Solutions tomorrow, yesterday’s solutions below

9 5 2 8 3 8 1 7 3 3 2 1 8 9 5 3 1 7 4 5

6 7

Fiendish

No 6546

1 Bf6! Qxh5 2 Rxg7+ Kh8 3 Rxf7+ Kg8 4 Rg7+ Kh8 5 Rxb7+ Kg8 6 Rg7+ Kh8 7 Rg5+ Kh7 8 Rxh5 Kg6 9 Rh3 Kxf6 10 Rxh6+ and White is three pawns up in the endgame.

Tips for Intermediates

19 23

22 2

23 2

16 2

21 12

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 1

Sudoku, Killer and Codeword solutions 7 1 5 8 2 6 3 9 4

6 3 4 7 9 1 8 5 2

8 2 9 4 5 3 1 6 7

3 8 1 2 6 4 5 7 9

No 6917

5 4 2 3 7 9 6 8 1

9 6 7 1 8 5 4 2 3

2 9 3 6 4 8 7 1 5

4 5 8 9 1 7 2 3 6

1 7 6 5 3 2 9 4 8

5 3 9 1 7 2 4 8 6

6 8 7 4 9 5 2 1 3

4 1 2 3 6 8 9 7 5

3 9 8 6 5 1 7 4 2

No 3980

2 5 6 7 4 9 1 3 8

7 4 1 8 2 3 6 5 9

8 7 3 9 1 6 5 2 4

9 2 4 5 3 7 8 6 1

1 6 5 2 8 4 3 9 7

P A T E N T L Y U G R E S T I GMA S U N AMBROS I A N E F B ACROBA V A R N J E E P ME D X T O L I QU I D N N R I E OG L E ME D

No 2229

S H NO R T L T I S I T

E E K N O Z E Y OMB E C S A T E R E A T E R R W I C I N E

FGM

Friday October 31 2014 | the times

arts story cover

Lost in space — does Interstellar It has been described as the most accurate portrayal of space travel. Catherine Nixey asks two of the world’s leading cosmologists to sort the fact from the fiction

t’s hard to see what could go wrong with the new Christopher Nolan film Interstellar. One of the world’s leading theoretical physicists, Kip Thorne, was its advisor. It is said to contain a simulation of a black hole that is so accurate that it not only spawned a genuine scientific discovery but even caused film journalists to use words like “spheroidal maelstrom” and “accretion disc”. And it contains Anne Hathaway looking lovely in a space suit. What’s not to like? Then you watch it and note that it involves using wormholes (basically black holes with an exit) to commute between stars. And then you notice that everyone keeps referring to a mysterious formula called “the gravity equation”. And also that the film allows interstellar communication from the future — or possibly the past (it’s that sort of film) — via a bookshelf. Oh yes, and it contains the phrase: “Love is the one thing we are capable of perceiving that transcends dimensions of time and space.” A line so silly that it might itself become immortal. Which is not to say that the true science of relativity is any easier to understand than this plot. When the great British physicist and early champion of Einstein, Sir Arthur Eddington, was asked whether he was one of the three people in the world who understood relativity, he paused. “Don’t be modest, Eddington!” chided his questioner. Eddington eventually replied: “On the contrary, I’m trying to think who the third person is.” With relativity, you just do the sums, see what they tell you about the world and accept it. To help sort the good science from the bad, we took two of the world’s leading cosmologists — Professor Martin Rees, Astronomer Royal and emeritus professor of astrophysics at Cambridge University, and Carlos Frenk, professor of fundamental physics at Durham University — to see the film and explain any (worm) holes, intentional or

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

The famous critic Pauline Kael deemed Kubrick’s cosmic opus, centre, “a monumentally unimaginative movie”, which is perhaps the most monumentally unimaginative critique ever of a film that was a quantum leap beyond any that came before. Or since. Its co-writer Arthur C Clarke said that if you understood the mysterious third act, he’d failed. He succeeded, but such scenes as the man-ape’s bone segueing into the space-station ballet to Strauss’s Blue Danube remain pure cinema magic. 0 Plausibility rating: 9/10 As John Zarnecki, emeritus professor of space science at the Open University, says: “We have a space station in orbit around the Earth

Amelia (Anne Hathaway) and Cooper (Matthew McConaughey), above; Murphy (Jessica Chastain) at the blackboard, top right

Top 5 sci-fi films

and how the scientists rate them

otherwise, in its plot. Below are ten propositions suggested by the film and the professors’ responses to them. Here comes the science bit . . . You can travel through wormholes: TRUE (possibly) The basic premise of the film is that Earth is enduring an unspecified environmental disaster that is causing deathly dust clouds in the American Midwest. Humanity needs to find somewhere else to live, fast, which is where Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) and Amelia (Anne Hathaway) come in: they are going to set off and find another planet. And the way they’re going to get there is through wormholes. This unorthodox form of transport is, says Rees, “speculation, but it’s not crazy. The conventional view on black holes is that you go in and you are squashed. But it is possible that you could go in, there is a limit to how much you are squashed, and you come out the other side.” The equations don’t prove it definitely but, he says, “they don’t rule it out completely”. already; it doesn’t need much of a stretch of the imagination to have space stations in and beyond our solar system — in fact it will certainly happen, perhaps even in our lifetime. The only implausible thing is the way that the departure lounge was so plush, uncrowded and pleasant. This was air travel imagined before Ryanair.”

Alien (1979)

If alien life-forms had previously meant tripods or bug-eyed green men, the hostile monster here

was something horribly new, dredged from the stuff of nightmares into a lean, mean suspense thriller, below. There isn’t a more shocking, gutwrenching scene in sci-fi than John Hurt’s unfortunate stomach upset. 0 Plausibility rating: 9/10 “If life does exist in the universe — and there are so many galaxies and so many planets that the chance is that it does,’’ says Zarnecki “then life out there could take many, many different forms — which means little green men, aliens with two heads. And ones that could gestate in your stomach and burst out of it are not impossible.”

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

Steven Spielberg’s epic about a

man’s mid-life crisis connecting with benign alien visitors was such a dazzling light show that no one’s really tried a serious UFO movie since. And who could top that five-note musical motif for an otherworldly message? 0 Plausibility rating: 1/10 “The distances in space are so, so vast that clever aliens would probably stay at home and send signals instead,” explains Zarnecki, “so the most likely way we will make contact with aliens is through radio communications. “We are doing this already when we transmit radio broadcasts. It is possible that the first thing an alien race will hear from us is The Archers. What will they make of that?”

the times | Friday October 31 2014

FGM

arts cover story

pass our experts’ science test? COVER PHOTO: WARNER BROTHERS; MAIN IMAGE: CHRISTOPHER NOLAN / ALLSTAR

If you were to travel through a wormhole, it would be a bumpy ride: TRUE (probably) In the film, travelling through a wormhole is portrayed as a slightly more uncomfortable version of travelling on the Northern Line on the London Underground: rattly, a bit hot, and with occasional unnerving moments when it all goes dark. Alas, in reality we have no idea what it would feel like to go through a wormhole. What is clear is that doing so would definitely come with problems of its own. “If you were to have a wormhole that was big enough for someone to go into without being torn apart it would have to weigh thousands of times more than the Sun,” says Rees. And as Frenk adds with elegant economy, if you did, “it would eat up everything” and we would all be sucked into its black abyss, never to escape. Also like the Northern Line. You can explain wormholes with a folded piece of paper and a pencil: TRUE Early in the film, one of the astronauts explains wormholes to his fellow astronauts (who seem alarmingly ill briefed for their mission) by folding up a piece of paper then puncturing it with a pencil. Nonsense, surely? Absolutely not. “It was a good

Nobody does science like this on blackboards explanation. That’s the way I’d explain it if I was giving a lecture,” says Rees, thereby making lectures on cosmology and astrophysics at Cambridge sound somewhat easier than expected. Although you suspect that Rees probably doesn’t add afterwards (as a character does later in the film): “That’s relativity, folks!” Wormhole travel keeps you young: TRUE As Cooper heads off on his wormhole adventure he is told that for every hour he spends on the new planet, seven years will pass back on Earth. Cue horror for him (will he see his daughter again?) and equal horror for the viewer as, back at base camp, the inevitable CGI liver spots are applied to Michael Caine’s face as 23 Earth years pass in the course of the three hours or so that Cooper is on the new planet. Hokum, surely? Amazingly, no. “They got that absolutely right,” says Rees. “If you go to another star and come back, people would have aged a

Blade Runner (1982)

Film-studies students ponder its themes of what it means to be human, others enjoy it as a futuristic noir thriller — a Philip K Dick story (the original book was called Do Androids Dream of Electric ctric Sheep?) by way of Raymond Chandler. Either way Ridley Scott’s visually stunning film (those steamy cityscapes are apparently how Los Angeles will look five years from now) also has Harrison Ford, above, at his coolest. 0 Plausibility rating: 5/10 As Professor Peter McOwan from Queen Mary University of London explains: “Researchers in Japan have already produced humanoid robots

lot. That’s what happens if you go very fast.” Although, adds Frenk, we’re not talking about ageing by “a few years. We’re talking about billions, or hundreds of millions of years.” So, on the downside everyone would be dead. On the bright side no need for CGI ageing. The universe contains other planets that could support life: TRUE In the film, Amelia and Cooper set out to find other planets to colonise and thereby save humanity. “A major discovery in the past decade or so is other planets around stars,” says Frenk. “Ten years ago the only planets we knew about were in the solar system.” Now, says Rees, “we know most stars have them. If you were to travel far enough through interstellar space you would indeed expect to find another planet like the Earth.” Whether it would have Matt Damon on it when you got there is another question. Time travel is possible: PERHAPS “If you can travel faster than the speed of light you can travel back in time” says Frenk. “We don’t know if this is possible. Maybe you can.” It’s complicated, however. In the film, Murphy (Jessica Chastain) and Cooper use messages in a bookcase to communicate with people in the past/future. This, say the professors, is not likely, owing to the problem of logical consistency that is best summed up by the “killing-yourmother paradox”. Frenk explains: “If you can travel back in time to when your mother was a young girl, you can pull out a gun and shoot your mother before you were born.” Which, given that you were there to shoot her, obviously can’t have happened. There are, says Rees, two options: “One is that there is something that prevents time travel in the past. Or, time travel in the past is allowed but there is some other constraint applied by science that would stop contradictory behaviour.” Rather like, adds the Astronomer Royal (showing a surprising grasp of films to go with his knowledge of cosmology), Groundhog Day. that for the first couple of seconds fool most people. One problem is power and batteries, since running something the size of a human using a mains cable running from them ca would be a bit of a giveaway. And would androids dream of electric tric sheep? If dreaming is just consolidation of the information you’ve amassed during the waking day and an android had been programmed to recognise a sheep, then quite possibly.”

Her (2013)

Granted, Spike Jonze’s melancholic romance wears its sci-fi lightly, as

Solve “the gravity equation” and you will be able to communicate through space-time: FALSE In the film, Murphy manages to communicate with her father by understanding the gravity equation (probably. The physics gets a bit blurry here). However it doesn’t matter because the concept of solving a gravity equation is, alas, nonsense. Mainly because there is no such thing as “the gravity equation” in real life. There are famous equations that explain how gravity behaves, but these have, as Rees says, “been solved for a hundred years”. Someone called Einstein got there first. Sorry, Murphy. Genius physicists still use blackboards to do their equations: FALSE Throughout the film, Murphy is shown puzzling over equations on blackboards — filmic shorthand for “I’m an unorthodox and determined genius” (cf, Good Will Hunting, Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind, you name it). However there are clues that her character isn’t quite the genius implied because, as Frenk says: “Some of the symbols were backwards.” Besides, he adds: “Nobody does science like this any more on blackboards.” Whiteboards, apparently, are more popular. Or, presumably, paper. This is the most realistic science fiction film ever: FALSE Not actually something suggested by the film itself, but a suggestion that has, like a nebula around a star, been swirling around it. So is it? “Certainly not,” says Frenk. “2001: A Space Odyssey stuck to the script of science a lot more closely.” It is, they both agree, more science-fantasy than sciencefiction. “This one takes enormous liberties,” says Frenk, “but there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s fun. Which is what it’s supposed to be. Science is hard. The entertainment factor of this was 8 or 9.” And if you were to mark the physics out of 10? “We won’t give it a mark,” says Rees, smiling slightly, “because it wasn’t sitting for a science examination.” Love can transcend dimensions of space and time FALSE No, it can’t. And you really don’t need the Astronomer Royal to explain this. Joaquin Phoenix’s lonely divorcee falls for his artificially intelligent operating system — Scarlett Johansson’s smoky tones behind the most effective computer voice since 2001’s Hal. Yet as much as any film, it shows how reallife is becoming more and more sci-fi. 0 Plausibility rating: 8/10 “There are already systems around that can recognise the emotional tone in your voice,” says McOwan. “If your phone also had the ability to receive information on the context of what was causing that state — and that is just data — then it would be able to respond in an empathetic way and you could have a love-like relationship with your phone. Although I think there are already people out there who already love their mobile more than is healthy.” James Jackson and Catherine Nixey

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Friday October 31 2014 | the times

arts

Richard Morrison the arts column

What to read on the spookiest night of the year REX FEATURES

ooking at the costumes being paraded in the media in advance of tonight’s ghoul-fest, you might have thought that Hallowe’en was all about sex, not death. Actually, that’s not so inappropriate. Even the church, in one of its saner moments, sanctioned All Hallows Eve as a carnival day on which we frail human beings could confront our mortal dreads by poking fun at the Grim Reaper. If dressing up as an eroticised nun helps to achieve this life-affirming goal, so be it. Nevertheless, Hallowe’en does usher in All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, the two Christian festivals that commemorate the dead. It also probably has roots in the old Gaelic festival of Samhain, the day between harvest and winter when the veil between earthly and spiritual realms was thought to be lifted, allowing the dead to, well, haunt their old haunts. It’s traditionally one of the half-dozen nights in the year when you might indulge in a Witches’ Sabbath: a slightly pervy knees-up for those of an occult disposition. No wonder, then, that Hallowe’en is also associated with ghost stories. Indeed, my feeling is that if you want to experience the true ghoulishness of the festival the best place is curled up by yourself in an armchair, reading a classic ghost yarn by the light of a single flickering candle. Which of course will inexplicably go out at exactly the moment when you reach the tale’s chilling denouement.

Donald Sutherland in Don’t Look Now, based on Daphne du Maurier’s story The question is, which tale? Which is the most terrifying ghost story ever written? There are 3,000 years’ of examples from which to choose. Ghosts abounded in Homer’s Odyssey and classical Greek, Roman and Arabic authors had nothing to learn from Stephen King when it came to haunted houses and wrathful wraiths. Shakespeare, too, had a penchant for spooks with a sense of timing: think of Macbeth, Richard III and Hamlet. Modern authors carry on the tradition with spine-chilling gusto. Especially the women. In my Top 50 I would certainly include Daphne du Maurier’s 1971 masterpiece of deathly premonitions in Venice Not after

Midnight (turned by Nicolas Roeg into an equally chilling movie, Don’t Look Now) as well as Susan Hill’s 1983 classic The Woman in Black. That, you will recall, concerned a fey lady around whom — like Clint Eastwood in his early movies — people seem to drop dead with alarming regularity. Also on my list would be Michelle Paver’s brilliant Dark Matter, about a radio operator left stranded on a haunted Arctic island, and Elizabeth Taylor’s Poor Girl, which riffs cleverly on the “neurotic governess” theme of another earlier ghostly classic: Henry James’s The Turn of the Screw. For many ghost-story aficionados, however, the golden age was the

Victorian and Edwardian era, from Edgar Allan Poe’s 1842 gothic classic The Masque of the Red Death to the spectre-filled short stories of MR James. If you happen to be staying in an East Anglian hotel room that has a spare bed, try reading James’s Oh, Whistle, and I’ll Come to You, My Lad. I guarantee you nightmares till dawn. From that golden age I would suggest three contenders for the “scariest ghost story” accolade. WW Jacobs’s The Monkey’s Paw is as inexorably harrowing as a Greek tragedy: a “lucky” charm with powers to change the future brings only the most horrific consequences to its owners. Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Body Snatcher evokes the graverobbing era of Burke and Hare, but with a denouement so shocking that my heart starts pounding even now when I think about it. For me, however, nothing matches Dickens — and no, I don’t mean the dreary ghosts in A Christmas Carol. His masterpiece in this genre was The Signal-Man in which a lonely railwayman foresees his own death without knowing it. As with Henry James’s The Turn of the Screw, you never quite know what is reality and what fantasy, what is supernatural and what explicable or what is past, present or future. Fifty years after first reading it I still can’t travel on a train through a tunnel without seeing . . . but no, I won’t spoil it for newcomers. Are there any better ghoulie yarns than that lot? Please send me your suggestions. On this particular date, contributions from beyond the grave are especially welcomed.

Read The Signal-Man

the tablet edition and at thetimes.co.uk/arts

My own ghost story Perhaps this is the day to publish my own ghost story: not in the MR James league, but actually true. As a child I was taught the organ in the local church by its organist, a man called Charlie Western. He was like a second father. In my twenties I succeeded him as organist. Late one night I was playing Bach by myself in the dark church when I became aware of someone standing behind me, breathing quietly. I turned round. Nobody was there. I resumed. The same odd feeling of being watched. This time I didn’t turn round. I jumped off the organ stool and ran for the door. When I reached home my father was waiting. “Sorry,“ he said, “but I’ve got bad news. Charlie Western died this evening.” A psychiatrist would doubtless suggest that I knew my old tutor was ill and that playing the organ had somehow triggered my subconscious into conjuring an illusion of his presence. Well, maybe — but I know what I heard.

the times | Friday October 31 2014

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arts

THE CRITICS

Kevin Maher

on Daniel Radcliffe’s Horns p49

Will Hodgkinson

despairs of Neil Young’s latest p50

A brush with greatness the big film

Was this the real Turner?

Timothy Spall is a triumphant Turner in a film that is Mike Leigh’s masterpiece, says Kate Muir

Mr Turner

(12A, 149min)

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f there is one film you should see on the largest screen possible this year, it is Mr Turner, which is not merely the portrait of an artist but a full-frontal, joyous bellyflop into the seascapes of his paintings. The director Mike Leigh’s masterpiece — and that word is used accurately here — takes a Dickensian delight in ornate and earthy language, character and comedy, while delivering an understanding of the struggle and obsession necessary to achieve great and, in JMW Turner’s case, groundbreaking art. Timothy Spall plays Turner (1775-1851) in this drama set in the last quarter-century of the painter’s life, by which time he had turned controversially expressive, wild and abstract for his time. Spall, who won the Best Actor award at Cannes for his performance, is part-artist, part-animal: his needs, anger and contempt are expressed in often hilarious guttural grunts and harrumphs, each with a meaning easily decoded by the complicit audience, although not by the high society of Royal Academicians that he occasionally enters. Yet Turner, the literate son of a barber (“Daddy” played by Paul Jesson), also takes as much pleasure in colourful, sophisticated language as the cadmium yellow and cobalt blue of his paintings. Leigh’s writing is allowed to flourish here more than in, say,

Timothy Spall as JMW Turner, a man of extreme appetites whose behaviour is as wild and colourful as his paintings Another Year or Happy-Go-Lucky. The “heinous travail” of Turner’s recent “execrable” journey is balanced by “a gander at Rembrandt” and an observation that Flanders is “still as flat as a witch’s tit”. The Low Countries provide a long opening shot from Leigh’s regular cinematographer Dick Pope, who has here entered another realm that might be termed “screen painting”. The camera alights on a windmill outlined by the smeary rising sun as, below, two farm women in white bonnets walk along a reflecting canal. As they pass, our eye is drawn upwards to the bank, to the black silhouette of a stoutish, solid man in a top hat taking in the view. Turner is thus established, almost branded on his landscape, in an image that keeps recurring. Back home in London (comfortable house, wall paint that Farrow & Ball will imitate soon), Turner is revealed as a man of appetites: great love for Daddy, who stretches canvasses and himself to their limits; grunting grabs for the breasts of his mousy housekeeper Hannah Danby (Dorothy Atkinson); and lip-smacking supping of ale and another fat slice of pig’s cheek with cabbage. Turner paints with equal energy and Spall’s swooshing, daubing and

occasionally gobbing on the paintings is extremely convincing. What the film does magnificently is set up what Turner describes as “a marine piece” that is later executed by the painter. The most uncannily perfect of these is The Fighting Temeraire (1839), the great sailing ship from the Battle of Trafalgar being taken to the breaker’s yard by a tug belching black smoke. Turner and his artist friends watch the dying ship from a rowing boat. The result is in the National Gallery. That moment also represents changing times as sail gives way to steam and later — Turner fears — painting will give way to daguerreotypes or photographs. Turner’s bullheaded dedication to his art also brings its casualties, not least his own health after he has himself tied to the mast of a ship in a snowstorm to get a painting just right. Women also fall by the wayside: it turns out that Turner has a mistress and two illegitimate grown daughters that he prefers to ignore and Ruth Sheen has a grand old time roaring in as the mistress to give him what for. But Turner does find love and true companionship with Mrs Booth (a terrific, warm Marion Bailey), a seaside landlady, and their moment of courtship when he compares her

gentle, aged profile to a statue of Aphrodite is as funny as it is tender. Mr Turner is slowly crafted from these domestic vignettes and professional ones from the Royal Academy or among benefactors and intellectuals who take Turner into their circle. Varnishing day at the academy, when painters put finishing touches to their works, is a hoot as Turner is gripped suddenly by a delirium of irritation at the pontification and smugness of his fellow artists and daubs a big red blob, later a buoy, in the middle of his seascape, much to the disgust of John Constable. Other famous characters turn up, including the Ruskin family, doting on the young, egregiously pretentious John Ruskin (Joshua McGuire, lisping for England), who defended Turner’s later work against harsh criticism, including the disapprobation of Queen Victoria. What seems clear here was that Turner landed in the wrong century. In terms of manners and ideas he is a modernist among old-fashioned stiffs and this makes his story all the more attractive, not merely visually (and I’ve luxuriated in it twice). Eventually, the viewer begins to feel a deep affection for this eccentric, driven, honest man — and his art.

Mike Leigh has always been robust about not intending to make a History Channel-style documentary about the great painter. Instead he applied his own improvisational methods as a filmmaker to Turner’s genius, creating a heady, semi-fictional mix: “We evoked something,” he said. In Cannes, Leigh pre-empted the Turner anoraks. “The Turneracs, as we call them — the real Turner nuts — haven’t seen it yet, but we’ve ordered some protective armour to wear at the screening. It’s not a documentary, but there’s always going to be some complainers.” He later said, “If you go back to actual events they in many respects would bear absolutely no resemblance to what’s on the flickering silver screen . . . but we enter a conspiracy to say we are bringing something to life.” In fact Turnerac-inchief, Andrew Wilton, chairman of the Turner Society, likes the film. “It’s sufficiently deep to require several viewings and rather fine in its way with some extraordinary performances. It’s visually extremely effective and splendid.” Yet Wilton took issue with the suggestion that “Turner’s greatness was in splashy, abstract painting. That wasn’t what he was about at all. He was not a protoRothko. He had infinite sensitivity to reality.”

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Friday October 31 2014 | the times

artsfilm reviews film

He’ll do anything for a good story Jake Gyllenhaal raises his game as a dodgy freelance crime photographer in this gritty tale, says Kate Muir Nightcrawler 15, 117min

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The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman 15, 108min

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The Overnighters 12A, 102min

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f it bleeds, it leads,” is the mantra of the Los Angeles television station where a sociopathic, bug-eyed, hyper-kinetic Jake Gyllenhaal sells his gruesome footage of accidents and murders as he learns the dark art of being a “nightcrawler”. Gyllenhaal, in a disturbing humdinger of a performance, plays Louis Bloom, a would-be news cameraman whose lack of conscience and rabid ambition make him brilliant at his chosen career. His camera pries where others shy away; his moral boundaries are missing.

This noir satire on modern news journalism becomes a thriller as Bloom goes from ambulance chaser to ambulance pre-emptor, arriving early and adjusting crime scenes to improve the drama. The wild rides through Los Angeles to the call of the police emergency radio are seat-chewingly tense and reflected on the worried face of Bloom’s map-reading sidekick, played by Riz Ahmed. In Nightcrawler, the city is leached of glamour in the neon night and becomes a maze of concrete freeways and fast-food outlets. Bloom’s wholesale adoption of corporate speak is in amusing contrast

Jake Gyllenhaal, above; Shia LaBeouf and Evan Rachel Wood, below to his blood-boltered job: “I’m a hard worker; I set high goals,” he says, smiling eagerly. His ascent is stoked by a rapacious Rene Russo as news director Nina Romina, whose desire for ratings trumps taste and decency. She tells Bloom to imagine a perfect newscast as “a screaming woman running down the street with her throat cut”. Additionally, black-on-black crime is of no interest to Romina or her ratings — she only wants to engender white fear. The close-to-home portrayal of the television news industry and the audience’s voyeuristic complicity ewer feeling slightly leaves the viewer soiled. What holds your ever, is attention, however, gly the increasingly brilliant Gyllenhaal as the increasingly unhinged Bloom. Just how far will he go? The weird filmography of Shia LaBeouf, from Fury to Nymphomaniac homaniac via Transformers, continues with an ecstasy-fuelled excursion to eastern Europe in the bizarre The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman. On her deathbed, as her soul shoots off in a little silver squiggle, Mrs Countryman advises her son Charlie, a ponytailed LaBeouf, to go to Bucharest — that’s Romania, where there are great tax breaks for film-makers, incidentally. After a passenger snuffs it on the plane, Charlie tracks down the man’s beautiful punky daughter Gabi (Evan Rachel Wood) who almost inevitably

plays the cello at the city opera and has a Mafioso-type husband in the menacing form of Mads Mikkelsen. Grief morphs into love, but not before a series of unlikely wham-bam events with a manic and sweaty LaBeouf racing past the sights of Bucharest amid threats from villains who tend to be called Darko. Charlie also enjoys the illicit pleasures of the Marco Polo youth hostel, where he shares a dorm-room with James Buckley and Rupert Grint in a sort of stoner Inbetweeners/Harry Potter moment. In all, an energetic mess. The Overnighters documentary won the Special Jury Prize at for director Sundance fo Moss’s intriguing Jesse Mo portrait of a North Dakota pastor Dako who finds his church taking in thousands of homeless men hoping for jobs as a result of the local oil boom. It’s one of those Steinbeck-style stories of migrants, poverty, desperation and hope, a heartbreaking picture of men who still believe they are living the American Dream in broken-down trailers doing grim, unhealthy jobs. Pastor Jay Reinke lets the camera patrol his most intimate moments with his family and the many “overnighters” who find temporary refuge in his church, much to the horror of the local community when a sex offender is discovered among them. Piety, passion and compassion lead to a disturbing conclusion.

the times | Friday October 31 2014

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Harry Potter with horns Daniel Radcliffe fails to mature in this tale of supernatural shennanigans, says Kevin Maher

ou never want to rip into actors. They’re a sensitive bunch who do a job that brutalises the soul at the best of times. And if it goes wrong, it’s usually not their fault. Plus, when I meet them it can be a bit awkward if I’ve called them a charmless plank in print. And yet I really struggle with Daniel Radcliffe. Horns is his fourth post-Hogwarts attempt to prove that he is a proper screen actor and, presumably, to erase memories of a decade’s worth of wooden linereadings in one of the largest movie franchises of all time. The results, unfortunately, aren’t pretty. Radcliffe plays Ig Perrish, the luckless anti-hero in this Oregon-set adaptation of a quirky horror satire by the novelist Joe Hill (aka Joseph Hillstrom King, son of the horror maestro Stephen King). Ig is a radio DJ whose defining characteristics seem to be a hefty LP collection, stubble and a disturbing penchant for louche low-cut T-shirts. Otherwise it’s very much Radcliffe doing that intense, twitchy, exasperated birdy

Invasion of the Body Snatchers PG, 80min

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Ouija

15, 90min

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Extraterrestrial

15, 100min

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Daniel Radcliffe as Ig Perrish and Juno Temple as his girlfriend Merrin Williams in Horns

Horns

(15, 120mins

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Times Film Show: watch our critics debate the latest releases tablet edition or thetimes.co.uk/film

ou fools! You’re in danger! Can’t you see? They’re after you! They’re after all of us!” It’s one of the greatest lines in sci-fi movie history, from one of the greatest films, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, delivered by Kevin McCarthy with crazy-eyed moxy. This rerelease of the 1956 breakneck thriller, brimming with quotables (“It’s an epidemic of mass hysteria!”), features McCarthy (left, with Dana Wynter) as the small-town doctor who gradually begins to suspect the highly spirited denizens of Santa Mira, California, are being replaced by unthinking, conformist pod people from outer space. Here director Don Siegel (who later made Dirty Harry) is on startlingly versatile form, crafting a movie that’s verdant with political metaphor (it’s the definitive Reds-under-the-bed analogy), chilling at times and yet also, most importantly, whips along at a

thing that he did earlier this year in the execrable rom-com What If and before that in Kill Your Darlings. And here it’s deployed with great gusto, especially when Ig learns that his girlfriend Merrin (Juno Temple, underrated, always good) has been murdered and that he’s the number one suspect, and that, oh darn, there’s a pair of devil’s horns growing out of his forehead — aaaaaand cue exasperation! And confusion! And a bit more exasperation! The horns, we soon discover, through both narrative action and needless lumbering exposition, reveal the darkest desires in all those who Ig encounters (infidelity, insurance fraud and indecent exposure are high on the menu). And soon, for no reason other than that the ramshackle plot demands it, the horns allow Ig to control minds, read minds and generally nullify any shred of

importance or relevance in the whodunit part of the story. All this is very messy, but there are glimmers of light. A series of supporting players — Max Minghella (effortlessly charismatic as the steadfast lawyer buddy), Kathleen Quinlan (the unhinged mom) and David Morse (a grieving powder-keg dad) — are all top dollar. And the director Alexandre Aja (The Hills Have Eyes) frequently hints at the pleasing Lynchian-style head-scratcher that Horns might have been without the dependence on supernatural shenanigans. But you’re left with the suspicion that a stronger, more nuanced screen actor than Radcliffe (his performance style does, apparently, translate well in the shouty, overtly demonstrative realm of the theatre) might have held it all together. Or made it compelling. Rather than what it is now, a trifling curiosity.

breathtaking pace. Still punchy today and, in our own era of social media slaves and smart-phone addiction, perhaps more relevant than ever. Ouija is a low grade, low impact, Final Destination-style horror rip-off notable only for two things. First, that it’s from the “bang, bang, you’re deaf” school of horror. A dark and empty house, a slow creep down a deserted corridor and suddenly, “bang!”, a cat leaps across the frame accompanied by the kind of sonic boom that can displace fillings and rattle sternums within a five-mile radius. And here, in this by-the-numbers story of five highschoolers who accidentally unleash ghostly forces from a ouija board, we get bangs at events as random as a gas hob igniting, a shopping trolley rolling across a pedestrian underpass and, my favourite, a child standing in a doorway (because that’s a very bangy kind of event). The other notable element is the glaring age disparity between the five

central characters and the actors playing them. Yet again (remember Stockard Channing, 34 when playing high-schooler Betty Rizzo in Grease?), Hollywood attempts to sell us adult actors as teenage schoolchildren. In fact, Douglas Smith, who plays one of the ghost-baiters, is nearly 30 and playing a schoolkid. It’s not just distracting. It’s insulting. Extraterrestrial is an alien abduction movie written by a couple of Canadians who call themselves the Vicious Brothers. (I know. Crazy.) There’s nothing original, engaging, stimulating or thought-provoking within its frames. Instead, we get five mostly obnoxious college kids dodging lanky grey-skinned aliens in the woods, in one case getting caught and, yes, ho-ho, anally probed, but mostly just running around and reaching the heights of human expression with juicy dialogue bites such as: “Oh my God! This is f***ed up!” Quite. Kevin Maher

artsfilm reviews arts Movie Watch Orson’s Rosebud Orson Welles’s mysterious last film, The Other Side of the Wind, remains unfinished and legal disputes over the rights to the 1,083 reels of negatives in a warehouse in Paris prevented its assemblage. Now, however, an American production company, Royal Road Entertainment, has bought the rights from various owners and says it will have the film finished by the 100th anniversary of Welles’s birth on May 6, 2015. While Citizen Kane brought Welles (below) fame, his later struggles as a filmmaker may be paralleled in this latest movie, which portrays John Huston as an aging, difficult director and Peter Bogdanovich as his younger, friskier opposite. Welles left 45 minutes of the film roughly edited and he shot it sporadically for seven years from 1969 to 1976. “This is like finding the Land of Oz or some lost tomb,” said Josh Karp, the author of a forthcoming book about the movie, in The New York Times. “This film is art imitating life and life imitating art.”

Hasta la vista, baby-sitters The Terminator franchise just got a whole lot more mushy. To whet audience appetites for the fifth Terminator movie, Terminator: Genisys, key plot and casting points have been revealed. Arnie’s back as the Terminator and London-born Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke will play the kick-ass future mom Sarah Connor. There is one new twist: Sarah Connor will be orphaned then single-parented by, yep, Arnie’s Terminator. She even calls him “Pop”. Which is very cute, in a Kindergarten Cop way. But is it very Terminator? A Marvellous future Marvel Studios has announced a raft of superhero movies, including one not starring men in tights. The female Captain Marvel will debut in 2018, but there is much regret about the lack of a Black Widow spin-off film starring Scarlett Johansson who appeared in the rubber-clad action role in The Avengers, Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Iron Man 2. There is also a Black Panther movie in the works for 2017, starring Chadwick Boseman. At Warner Bros, Wonder Woman is slated for production in 2017.

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arts music

Neil, you can’t save the trees and love your car pop

Neil Young has always been a maverick, yet it’s plain hypocrisy when he poses as eco warrier and petrolhead on his faltering new album. But Simple Minds have stuck to a winning formula, says Will Hodgkinson Neil Young Storytone Warner Bros

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hose of us who love Neil Young will put up with a lot from him. When in early 2014 Young announced plans for an expensive high-fidelity digital music system called Pono while at the same time releasing an album, A Letter Home, that sounded like it was recorded at the bottom of a well, we embraced the contradiction. When he made his backing band Crazy Horse wait ten years for the phonecall that would pay their mortgages and then got them to make not one but two albums with him in 2012, we understood. He’s Neil Young, he wrote Heart of Gold and he can do what he wants — but even Neil Young can go too far. Storytone, arriving just a few months after A Letter Home, comes in two forms. There’s the stripped-down version, with Young singing the songs

Simple Minds Big Music

Caroline International

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and accompanying himself on piano or guitar, and there is the enriched version, with a 92-piece orchestra and full choir. We shouldn’t be surprised at Young’s wilfulness — he gave us 35 minutes of feedback on 1991’s Arc, while 2009’s Fork in the Road was an album-long tribute to the Lincvolt electric car he had just invented — but that doesn’t mean we should buy into below-par material. For most singer-songwriters Storytone would be pretty good. There are moments of personal revelation through poetry, an understanding of the power of simplicity and Young’s aching voice, so good at conveying feelings we can all relate to, at the heart of it all. But from a man capable of writing Old Man, Helpless and any number of masterpieces that helped make sense of late 20th-century life, this is a disappointment. Frequently the rich, syrupy arrangements on the enriched version of the album don’t suit the songs. Plastic Flowers is a eulogy to Young’s seemingly harmonious 37-year marriage to his wife Pegi, which to great surprise ended this year. It’s a heartfelt song, filled with the sadness that comes with end of a love story, but lines like “she looked at me with a tear in her eye” take on Las Vegasstyle sentimentality when set against gushing strings. Likewise, Who’s Gonna Stand Up is a barefaced environmental protest song, but singing “end fracking

now” and “let’s build the green and save the world” as woodwind and choir swell in the background is unlikely to inspire a back-to-theplanet revolution any time soon. Young doesn’t mind a bit of hypocrisy either. Coming straight after Who’s Gonna Stand Up is a slice of Chicago blues called I Want to Drive My Car. It’s an equally barefaced paean to the joy of driving cars,

It’s an overblown treatment for songs that don’t stand up to it Young seemingly not bothered that the oil he protests about in one song fuels the car he sings about driving — until he puts his Lincvolt into production, at least — in the next. And to make matters worse I Want to Drive My Car is by far the more fun of the two, which won’t send out the right message for the environmental lobby at all. There are a couple of minor Neil Young gems buried on this disappointing album. I’m Glad I Found You is a maudlin but pretty tribute to Young’s new girlfriend, who is none

Friday October 31 2014 | the times

the times | Friday October 31 2014

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arts music EMILY DYAN IBARRA

classical Argerich/Barenboim Piano Duos Deutsche Grammophon

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Neil Young and, right, his new girlfriend, the actress Daryl Hannah. Top right: Simple Minds

other than Hollywood actress and fellow tree-hugger Daryl Hannah. “When I hold you I will shield you from the things we both see,” sings Young, as tender a reflection on the pressures of fame as anyone has come up with. Better still is When I Watch You Sleeping, a more universal expression of intimacy, which is augmented by some lovely harmonica playing. But throughout the album, on its orchestral version at least, you are left wondering: why is Neil Young giving such an overblown treatment to songs that don’t stand up to the process? Then you realise. Storytone is, essentially, one long advertisement for Pono. Just as early 1970s albums with titles like “Super Stereo Sound” and cover photographs of scantily clad women were designed to sell hi-fis, Young has designed Storytone as a way of convincing us to splash out £300 for the astonishing sonic vitality of the forthcoming Pono. It may well prove to be astonishing and vital, but listen to Young vi classics like After The Gold Rush or Harvest to get the most out of Pono, not this minor moment in a great artist’s catalogue. Back in the early-to-mid 1980s, Simple Minds combined the grandeur of 1970s stadium rock with 19 the introspection of new wave and invented CD rock. wa They were huge, but then U2 came along and stole their glory. Now, with not only a bunch of younger bands

proclaiming Simple Minds as a key influence but U2’s stock also hitting a rare low after what’s being perceived as a disastrous hook-up with Apple, it’s a good time for Simple Minds to remind us what they do best with the aptly titled Big Music. The first thing leader Jim Kerr, a native of Glasgow’s poor Southside, did in his bid for world-conquering glory was to sing in an American accent. It’s still there, but it covers the fact that Simple Minds had more of a background in alternative European music than the Americanisms suggest, and the metronomic beats and warping keyboards of Midnight Walking are indebted to the 1970s German bands Can and Kraftwerk. Simple Minds’ trick was — and still is — to meld these influences into a classic rock format and make them palatable to the world. There are more electronics than before, but what’s striking is how little Simple Minds have changed. Honest Town, a tribute to Kerr’s late mother based around childhood memories of walking through Glasgow, has that same blend of symphonic synthesisers and swelling choruses as the band’s 1985 mega-hit Don’t You (Forget About Me), while the title track Big Music is so 1980s it should be listened to on a Sony Walkman in a roller disco. Simple Minds have taken a laborious but ultimately successful route to career longevity: just hang around long enough for your music to skip a generation and your time will come again.

he principal exports of Argentina? Soy beans, beef, footballers: these we know about. There is another important one, however. Pianists. Daniel Barenboim (below) and Martha Argerich were born in Buenos Aires in the early 1940s. At the city’s musical soirées they apparently never performed duets, but the “two little wunderkinder” (Argerich’s description) knew each other and certainly played hide-and-seek. They are now much bigger creatures of wonder as mature mavericks and titans. This current release catches them at the Berlin Philharmonie this April, playing Mozart and Schubert duets, plus Stravinsky’s two-piano transcription of The Rite of Spring. A DVD and Blu-ray release due in the new year will supply the vital missing pictures: instruments placed one behind the other, the exchange of looks, the hands sometimes touching, page turners bravely standing by. Yet the audio experience has its own fire and majesty as these two old friends pitch in and strike sparks. The Stravinsky especially erupts like a volcano. Argerich learned the Second condo part just for this Berlin concert, although you’d never guess that yo as she forges ahead in a triumph of propulsive teamwork and razorsharp rhythms with no pause for breath between the ballet’s two parts. There is less rhythmic hmic precision in the Mozart sonata, K.448, where notes occasionally form an excitable blur, but Barenboim’s light, singing touch in the Primo part keeps the andante spry, free of all preciosity. For the Schubert A-flat Variations, D.813, they sit at the same piano and make sweet music in all the composer’s moods. Another Argentinian, Ingrid Fliter, plays Chopin in a recording that only appears two-dimensional next to the Berlin fiesta (Linn Records, {{{((). The 24 Preludes of Op. 28 roll by with the sensitivity that is always Fliter’s hallmark, though it’s left to the fill-up Mazurkas and Nocturnes for this gifted pianist to seduce the listener fully with Chopin’s magic spell. Geoff Brown

Friday October 31 2014 | the times

FGM

Sport

New-ball pair on attack Broad and Anderson fight their corner over those bullying claims

Pellegrini feels heat City’s run of poor results cranks up pressure with derby showdown next

Cricket, page 54

Football, pages 58-59

Fellowes looks for good start in Breeders’ Cup Andy Stephens

The notion of Newmarket rookie Charlie Fellowes having a winner at the Breeders’ Cup would have been outlandish at the start of this year. The California dream could become reality, though, when the meeting gets under way at Santa Anita tonight. Fellowes, 28, is one of the youngest trainers in Britain and did not hold a licence this time last year. Few American racing enthusiasts will have heard of him, but he has high hopes of striking first blood for Britain by winning the $1 million (about £624,000) Juvenile Turf, scheduled to be run at 9.25pm. Fellowes saddles Wet Sail, a promising third to Limato in a valuable sales’ race at Redcar last time. A low draw is regarded as an advantage and Wet Sail, the only yearling bought by Fellowes last year and sold to Qatar Racing before his latest run, will break from stall one. “He’s small, well-balanced and is a happy horse who loves life and racing,” he said. “He will be sharp from the gates and the tight track will suit him down to the ground. We are really looking

2.35

Newmarket Rob Wright

12.30 Awesome Power 2.35 Apache Storm 1.00 Tawdeea 3.10 Dame Lucy (nb) 1.30 Ventura Quest (nap) 3.45 Sohar 2.00 Terror 4.15 Eurystheus Thunderer: 12.30 Borak. 2.35 Red Pike (nap). Going: good to soft (soft in places) Draw: no advantage Racing UK

12.30 Maiden Stakes

AWESOME POWER W Haggas 9-0 4 BORAK 23 M Botti 9-0 DONETSK W Jarvis 9-0 DRUOT P Makin 9-0 GOATHLAND P Chapple-Hyam 9-0 GREATEST HITS J Gosden 9-0 2 NEW STRATEGY 14 S Bin Suroor 9-0 0 SIR HENRY RAEBURN 109 (T) P Cole 9-0 SPORTING BOB R Eddery 9-0 6 TAFAHOM 14 B Hills 9-0

J Fanning A Kirby Doubtful S Drowne S W Kelly R Havlin F Tylicki Luke Morris J Quinn P Hanagan

2-1 New Strategy, 11-2 Borak, 6-1 Greatest Hits, Tafahom, 8-1 others.

Rob Wright’s choice: Awesome Power, by Dubawi out of a smart mare, appeals Dangers: Borak, New Strategy

1.00 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

(4) (2) (5) (8) (3) (6) (9) (7) (1)

Maiden Stakes

S De Sousa Martin Dwyer J Fanning A Morgan (3) D Probert C Hardie (3) S W Kelly P Hanagan P Cosgrave

13-8 Crown Command, 15-8 Crack Shot, 10-1 Flying Hammer, 12-1 others.

Wright choice: Tawdeea comes from the family of the topclass Maraahel Dangers: Crown Command, Crack Shot

1.30

Handicap (£5,175: 1m 2f) (10)

1 (1) 31451 NO WIN NO FEE 17 (D) M Appleby 4-9-6 Alistair Rawlinson (5) 2 (3) 11500 CHAIN OF EVENTS 20 (CD) M Wigham 7-9-6 J Crowley 3 (8) 06500 THECORNISHCOWBOY 58 (T,D) John Ryan 5-9-5 Joe Doyle (5) 4 (5) 51534 LUNGARNO PALACE 20 (D) J Gallagher 3-9-5 B A Curtis P Hanagan 5 (4) 05330 VENTURA QUEST 20 R Fahey 3-9-4 6 (10) 31330 EXCELLENT PUCK 30 (B,D) S Lycett 4-9-3 Luke Morris 7 (9) 40415 HANDHELD 23 (P,D) Miss J Feilden 7-9-2 Shelley Birkett (5) S Drowne 8 (7) 21005 UNISON 25 (D) P Makin 4-9-0 J Egan 9 (6) 01411 POLAR FOREST 14 (E,D) Richard Guest 4-8-12 D Allan 10 (2) 11004 LADY ARTISTE 59 G A Swinbank 4-8-10 9-2 No Win No Fee, 11-2 Chain Of Events, Lungarno Palace, 6-1 others.

Wright choice: Ventura Quest, placed in some better races, can strike Dangers: Lungarno Palace, No Win No Fee

2.00 1 2 3 4 5 6

Conditions Stakes (£7,470: 6f) (6)

A Kirby (3) 5-500 BOOM THE GROOM 28 (D) A Carroll 3-9-13 J Fanning (2) 11-0 EVENING ATTIRE 51 W Stone 3-9-13 (1) 36121 FIFTYSHADESOFGREY 8 (D) G Baker 3-9-13 P Cosgrave P Mulrennan (6) 35122 RED PIKE 7 (D) B Smart 3-9-13 R Tart (5) 52025 DIAMOND LADY 30 (D) W Stone 3-9-5 (4) 441 APACHE STORM 16 (D) M Appleby 2-8-3 C Hardie (3)

4-5 Red Pike, 5-1 Apache Storm, 6-1 Fiftyshadesofgrey, 7-1 Diamond Lady, 14-1 Boom The Groom, Evening Attire.

Wright choice: Apache Storm can become the tenth juvenile winner of this race in 11 years Danger: Red Pike

Fillies' Handicap (£8,093: 1m 4f) (13)

1 (1) 55505 BOONGA ROOGETA 9 (C) P Charalambous 5-9-11 Rosie Jessop (3) 2 (13) 04234 HEADLINE NEWS 12 (D,BF) Rae Guest 5-9-10 J Garritty (5) G Lee 3 (5) 04006 BANTAM 20 (D) E Dunlop 4-9-10 4 (6) 33005 DUCHESS OF GAZELEY 180 (D) D Ivory 4-9-9 S Sanders R Tate (3) 5 (10) -0012 DAME LUCY 7 (D,BF) M Appleby 4-9-6 6 (8) 10345 PERFECT SUMMER 14 (D) Lady Cecil 4-9-5 C Hardie (3) S De Sousa 7 (11) 14330 ROSEHILL ARTIST 34 C Hills 3-9-5 R Havlin 8 (12) 316 CLEAR MIND 23 (D,BF) J Gosden 3-9-0 R Tart 9 (2) 1-166 ASIA MINOR 37 (T,D) Dr J Scargill 5-9-0 -5000 TOPTEMPO 13 (D) M Tompkins 5-8-12 T E Durcan 10 (4) J Fanning 11 (9) 15114 LEADERENE 33 (D,BF) M Johnston 3-8-11 12 (3) -2160 SPIRITOFTHEUNION 41 (D) Michael Bell 3-8-10 L Steward (3) Joe Doyle (5) 13 (7) 50006 ZAMRA 4 (D) B Ellison 3-8-5 5-2 Dame Lucy, 6-1 Leaderene, 7-1 Clear Mind, 8-1 Headline News, 10-1 Perfect Summer, 12-1 Bantam, Duchess Of Gazeley, 14-1 others.

(Div II: 2-Y-O: £4,528: 7f) (9) 02 CRACK SHOT 90 C Brittain 9-0 2 CROWN COMMAND 14 W Muir 9-0 FLYING HAMMER W Haggas 9-0 00 GIOVANNI DI BICCI 9 Lady Cecil 9-0 ROYAL NORMANDY A Balding 9-0 6 STARS AND STRIPES 16 L Cumani 9-0 SUDDYAN Sir M Stoute 9-0 TAWDEEA R Hannon 9-0 ZINGIBER N Quinlan 9-0

1 2 3 4 5 6

3.10

(Div I: 2-Y-O: £4,528: 7f) (10)

1 (4) 2 (10) 3 (1) 4 (9) 5 (8) 6 (5) 7 (7) 8 (3) 9 (2) 10 (6)

forward to stepping him up in trip. The mile will be no problem.” Underfoot conditions concerned Fellowes, a former assistant to James Fanshawe, until Jamie Spencer, his jockey, put his mind at rest. “He does have a bit of knee action but Jamie told us not to be fooled after riding him in a gallop,” Fellowes said. “He said he was very light on his feet and doesn’t hit the ground hard. It could be a case of the quicker the better. “I would not have sent him out here if I didn’t think he had a chance. He was racing over his minimum trip [six furlongs] at Redcar and was trying to give stacks of weight to the second and 2lb to Limato, who could possibly be the standout two-year-old.” Aktabantay, trained by Hugo Palmer, his fellow Newmarket handler, will not be in the line-up against Wet Sail having been found to be lame after working at the track yesterday. Palmer was left distraught at having to withdraw his stable star, who had provided him with a first group-race success at Sandown Park in August. “Having moved beautifully this morning Aktabantay was found to have a sore foot back at the barn,” Palmer said.

Fillies’ Stakes

(Listed: 2-Y-O: £17,013: 6f) (6)

A Kirby (3) 3634 AVENUE MONTAIGNE 69 J Murphy (Ire) 9-0 Luke Morris (4) 01333 EXPENSIVE DATE 14 P Cole 9-0 31 FLIGAZ 19 M Meade 9-0 D Sweeney (5) 0 HAALAN 70 C Brittain 9-0 S De Sousa (2) 14 TERROR 34 (D) D Simcock 9-0 J Crowley (1) J Egan (6) 62100 TONGUE TWISTA 34 N Littmoden 9-0

Wright choice: Dame Lucy has improved since joining this progressive yard Dangers: Leaderene, Duchess Of Gazeley

3.45

Handicap (£7,763: 2m) (13)

J Fanning (4) 32400 SOHAR 20 (CD) J Toller 6-10-0 A Kirby (11) 1/31- HARRY HUNT 199J (D) G McPherson 7-9-11 B A Curtis (3) 26216 ENTIHAA 41 (D) G A Swinbank 6-9-8 S Donohoe (1) 451-5 COOL SKY 34J I Williams 5-9-7 P Mulrennan (9) 021-3 MISTER PAGAN 20 K Dalgleish 6-9-7 Mikey Ennis (7) (6) 22-01 DEFICIT 65 (D) S Gollings 4-9-6 (10) 12601 PRECISION STRIKE 14 (V,D) Richard Guest 4-9-3 R Havlin J Crowley 8 (8) -5364 KLEITOMACHOS 20J (D) W S Kittow 6-9-1 G Lee 9 (12) 44616 SNOWY DAWN 28 (D) B Case 4-9-1 S De Sousa 10 (2) 42422 RITE TO REIGN 14 (BF) P McBride 3-8-12 P Cosgrave 11(13) 23430 OUR FOLLY 19 (B,D) W S Kittow 6-8-11 J Nason (5) 12 (7) 01054 CALEDONIA 20 (D) J Goldie 7-8-11 J Haynes (3) 13 (5) 33242 ARCAMANTE 17 K Burke 3-8-3 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

11-2 Rite To Reign, 15-2 Sohar, 8-1 Arcamante, Mister Pagan, 9-1 Deficit, Entihaa, Kleitomachos, 10-1 Caledonia, Precision Strike, 11-1 others.

Wright choice: Sohar easily won this race a year ago and can stage a repeat Dangers: Rite To Reign, Mister Pagan

4.15

Handicap (£5,175: 1m) (12)

A Kirby 1 (7) 23400 JAMHOORI 65 (P,D) J Gask 6-9-7 2 (12) 41640 EURYSTHEUS 35 (P,D) M Appleby 5-9-1 Alistair Rawlinson (5) 3 (2) 60402 OCEAN APPLAUSE 30 (T,D) John Ryan 4-9-0 Joe Doyle (5) 4 (1) 34051 EASTERN DRAGON 15 M Scudamore 4-8-13 W Twiston-Davies 5 (6) 14622 SWEET MARTONI 18 (D,BF) W Knight 4-8-12 J Crowley 6 (5) 50600 ANOTHER FOR JOE 31 (D) J Goldie 6-8-11 J Nason (5) S Drowne 7 (9) 11200 WORDISMYBOND 16 (D) P Makin 5-8-9 P McDonald 8 (4) 24025 DARK OCEAN 24 (D) Jedd O'Keeffe 4-8-8 P Cosgrave 9 (3) 5521 DUELLING DRAGON 83 W S Kittow 3-8-8 10(10) 21524 WORLD RECORD 39 (D,BF) Mick Quinn 4-8-7 C Hardie (3) S De Sousa 11(11) 66034 PATRIOTIC 11 (P,D) C Dwyer 6-8-7 J Fanning 12 (8) 31416 SPECIAL MISS 44 (D) Ali Stronge 3-8-6

1-2 Terror, 5-1 Avenue Montaigne, 6-1 Fligaz, 16-1 Tongue Twista, 20-1 others.

5-1 Duelling Dragon, Eastern Dragon, 13-2 Ocean Applause, Sweet Martoni, 15-2 Eurystheus, 11-1 Another For Joe, Patriotic, Special Miss, 12-1 others.

Wright choice: Terror, fourth to Tiggy Wiggy in the Cheveley Park, should outclass these rivals Danger: Fligaz

Wright choice: Eurystheus ran well in a more competitive race here last time Dangers: World Record, Another For Joe

J C HONG / AP

It’s very disappointing. He will be absolutely fine in the long term and will be aimed at the Qipco 2000 Guineas.” The British team will not suffer numerically because of Aktabantay’s

setback, as he will be replaced in the field by the Brian Meehan-trained Faithful Creek, the mount of Kieren Fallon. “We all feel deeply sorry for Hugo

Palmer and his team, it is all very disappointing when something like this happens,” Meehan said. “We’re obviously pleased to be getting a run but not in circumstances like this. Kieren Fallon got on the horse this morning and said that he gave him a really nice feel and we have the horse in really great shape.” Commemorative, from the Charlie Hills yard, will be a third British challenger in a race that European raiders have won six times in seven renewals. Osaila perhaps offers the best chance of a British winner this evening in the Juvenile Fillies’ Turf (10.50pm). “American racing is all about speed, so Osaila will need to break well from stall two, otherwise she will get stuck in traffic on the inside rail,” Richard Hannon, her trainer, said. “However, she comes here with good solid form. Obviously, we are in the dark as to the quality of the Americans, but we have always liked Osaila and we think this trip will suit her well.” Overall, prize money of $26 million (£16.22 million) will be on offer at the two-day meeting, which climaxes with the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Uttoxeter

3.00

1.40

Aktabantay was found to be lame after working at Santa Anita yesterday

Rob Wright

12.50 Minella Present 3.00 Dardanella 1.20 Avispa 3.35 Crystal Swing 1.50 Nebula Storm 4.10 Ted’s Lad 2.25 Sgt Reckless Going: good to soft At The Races

12.50 Novices' Hurdle

(£3,249: 2m 4f 110y) (10)

65-01 ABRICOT DE L'OASIS D McCain 4-10-12 J M Maguire 224- BRYDEN BOY 206 J Candlish 4-10-12 L Treadwell 4- CLANCY'S CROSS 349 Miss R Curtis 5-10-12 N Scholfield 2- COOLOGUE 188P C Longsdon 5-10-12 N Fehily 0333- FLINTHAM 245 M Bradstock 5-10-12 N Boinville (3) 313-1 MINELLA PRESENT 26 (CD) N Mulholland 5-10-12 R Johnson P Brennan 7 /F1-2 ROBERTS FORT 15 Fergal O'Brien 7-10-12 33 SHUTTHEBACKDOOR 17 Jonjo O'Neill 4-10-12 R McLernon 8 020- THE CIDER MAKER 201 C Tizzard 4-10-12 B Powell 9 L Aspell 10 00-5 EASTERN CALM 172 O Sherwood 5-10-5 1 2 3 4 5 6

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Mares' Handicap Hurdle (£3,249: 3m) (8)

0513- CAROLINA WREN 193 Mrs P Robeson 5-11-12 Tom O'Brien F0-00 CLOUDY SPIRIT 23 (D) T Lacey 9-11-10 R Dunne 4-366 EMERALD ROSE 67 (D) Julian Smith 7-11-8S Twiston-Davies -6131 OUR MAIMIE 21 (C) G McPherson 8-11-8 P Moloney P13-4 MAGIC MONEY 173 K Bailey 6-11-6 J M Maguire 132P- DARDANELLA 221 A King 7-11-6 W Hutchinson 11P-5 BARTON ROSE 21 (P) N Mulholland 5-11-5 M Byrne 5P04- A SHADE OF BAY 191 K Bailey 6-11-4 E Cookson (5)

5-1 Carolina Wren, Emerald Rose, Magic Money, Our Maimie, 11-2 others.

3.35

Handicap Chase (£3,798: 2m 4f) (10)

1 054-2 LIGHTENING ROD 16 (CD) M W Easterby 9-11-12 Mr H Bannister (7) D Bourke (7) 2 66111 SLEEP IN FIRST 26 (T,D) J Ewart 8-11-9 D Cook 3 62/5- RED INCA 14F (D) B Ellison 6-11-8 R Mania 4 301-F EMRAL SILK 8 Mrs S Smith 6-11-7 T Kelly (3) 5 63-P0 SPOT THE PRO 16 (T,D) R Menzies 5-11-1 A Wedge 6 0/43 SKYFIRE 18 (BF) N Kent 7-11-0 7 1P00/ KING'S REALM 505F (CD) Miss T Jackson 7-11-0 A Thornton M J McAlister 8 3-40P OVERPRICED 57 (T,CD) M Barnes 8-11-0 9 00502 KNIGHT IN PURPLE 40 (T,V,CD) J Mackie 10-10-13 Peter Carberry (3) T Garner (5) 10 2431 CAMACHOICE 8 (V,D) J Snowden 4-10-13 -2131 TEENAGE DREAM 102 (T) B Ellison 6-10-12 G Lavery (7) 11 W Renwick 12 04-2F NARCISSIST 11F M W Easterby 5-10-10 J Colliver (5) 13 2634- PERTUIS 36F M D Hammond 8-10-5

3-1 Minella Present, 5-1 Roberts Fort, 11-2 Clancy's Cross, 13-2 Coologue, 9-1 Bryden Boy, The Cider Maker, 11-1 Abricot De L'Oasis, 12-1 others.

41/3- LISTEN BOY 365 (BF) N Twiston-Davies 8-11-12 S Twiston-Davies 2 10/1F VIKING RIDGE 29 (P,C,D,BF) K Bailey 7-11-11 J M Maguire N Fehily 3 40/3- GREENLAW 355 (D) C Longsdon 8-11-10 R Johnson 4 5-334 ULIS DE VASSY 12 N Williams 6-11-9 J Greenall 5 4623- ARCTIC BEN 191 (C,D) H Daly 10-11-9 6 121F- BENNYS WELL 195 (C) Mrs S Smith 8-11-6 J England (3) 7 1PF-0 CRYSTAL SWING 143 (CD) R Phillips 7-11-3 D F O'Regan J Wall (7) 8 2143- HOLLINS 216 (CD) T Forbes 10-11-2 C Poste 9 3P22- RUSSE BLANC 204 (P,CD) R Lee 7-11-2 0150VIRGINIA ASH 252 (P) C Tizzard 6-11-0 B Powell 10

1.20

4-1 Viking Ridge, 6-1 Listen Boy, 13-2 Russe Blanc, 7-1 Arctic Ben, Greenlaw, 15-2 Ulis De Vassy, 8-1 Bennys Well, 11-1 Hollins, 12-1 others.

3 4

4.10

5 6 7 8

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Mares' Maiden Hurdle

(£2,209: 2m) (15)

30-64 ARCTIC DIXIE 23 B Summers 6-11-5 T Whelan (3) 4141- AVISPA 210 (D) A King 5-11-5 W Hutchinson 3132- BALMUSETTE 279 (C,D) K Reveley 5-11-5 J Reveley FAERIE REEL K Bailey 4-11-5 J M Maguire 005-3 GONEINAGLANCE 146 A Martin 5-11-5 Mr J Martin (7) 2225- HAATEFINA 235 (BF) M Usher 4-11-5 D Crosse 14-1 MAYBE PLENTY 173P G Smyly 5-11-5 G Sheehan 600- MIDNIGHT MEMORIES 223 (H) S Hollinshead 4-11-5 A Tinkler 5- PANDORICA 11F B Llewellyn 6-11-5 R Williams (5) PERFECT TIMING P Webber 4-11-5 P Brennan 11- RHYTHM STAR 203 J Snowden 4-11-5 B Powell 6-40 SASSANOVA 9 (H) C Longsdon 4-11-5 N Fehily 1 TANIOKEY 176 O Sherwood 4-11-5 L Aspell 304-4 TYRE HILL LADY 9 D Dennis 5-11-5 S Twiston-Davies 2 MAID OF TUSCANY 12 (P) N Mulholland 3-10-2 M Quinlan

4-1 Avispa, 13-2 Balmusette, 7-1 Sassanova, 15-2 Maid Of Tuscany, 9-1 Faerie Reel, Taniokey, 11-1 Rhythm Star, Tyre Hill Lady, 12-1 others.

1.50

Handicap Hurdle (£2,079: 2m) (10)

633-P GRAND MARCH 176 (BF) K Bailey 5-11-12 J M Maguire 006-0 ALBERTO'S DREAM 20 T Symonds 5-11-12 B Poste (5) 32133 TAROUM 6 (T,D,BF) A Carroll 7-11-10 L Edwards 65035 HOLLYWOOD ALL STAR 15 G McPherson 5-11-9 O Garner (7) 5 40-04 ACAPULCO BAY 31 (P,CD) D Burchell 10-11-7 R Williams (5) K James (3) 6 6-600 TRIPLE EIGHT 18 (B) P Kirby 6-11-2 J Wall (7) 7 0025/ NOLECCE 28F T Forbes 7-11-2 J E Moore 8 653-1 NEBULA STORM 11 (V,D) G L Moore 7-11-0 9 0400- ECHO FOXTROT 242 (T) Miss C Dyson 5-10-13 T Whelan (3) Felix De Giles 10 -5055 ARDEN DENIS 29 T Symonds 5-10-10 1 2 3 4

10-11 Nebula Storm, 8-1 Grand March, 9-1 Acapulco Bay, Taroum, 10-1 Arden Denis, 11-1 Triple Eight, 12-1 Alberto's Dream, 20-1 others.

2.25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Beginners' Chase (£3,798: 2m) (7)

332-5 COMEBACK COLIN 16 (BF) Mrs S Smith 6-11-2 J England (3) 510-3 GENTLEMAN JON 13 (D) C Tizzard 6-11-2 D Jacob 1P12- HORATIO HORNBLOWER 195 (D,BF) N Williams 6-11-2 T Scudamore 32-5 SEA CURRENT 20 D Skelton 6-11-2 H Skelton 142-3 SGT RECKLESS 185 (D) M Channon 7-11-2 B Hughes 3/0P- WOODPOLE ACADEMY 304 (D) P Kirby 7-11-2 H Brooke 2240- DOYLY CARTE 234 (D) D McCain 6-10-9 J M Maguire

6-5 Gentleman Jon, 11-2 Sgt Reckless, 6-1 Doyly Carte, 7-1 Horatio Hornblower, 8-1 Comeback Colin, 12-1 Sea Current, Woodpole Academy.

NH Flat Race (£1,560: 2m) (14)

ALLYCAT Miss R Curtis 4-11-0 T Scudamore 1 PP-0 GALACTIC POWER 31 R Dickin 4-11-0 J Palmowski (10) 2 33 HEATED DEBATE 87 (BF) C Longsdon 4-11-0 C Deutsch (7) 3 3-2 I'M A JOKER 25 Mrs S Humphrey 5-11-0 J Quinlan 4 3F1- LOUGH DERG WALK 201P D McCain 5-11-0 J M Maguire 5 1 MISSED APPROACH 179P W Greatrex 4-11-0 G Sheehan 6 L Edwards 7 PP-55 MR MAFIA 31 A Carroll 5-11-0 OUT ON BUSINESS J Scott 5-11-0 N Scholfield 8 F/ PROFIT MONITOR 907P (T) B Case 6-11-0 Mr M Kendrick (7) 9 RIDE ON TIME B Pauling 4-11-0 D Bass 10 2- SPRING WOLF 199 B Ryall 6-11-0 D Crosse 11 5STAND ASIDE 243 Jonjo O'Neill 4-11-0 A P McCoy 12 TED'S LAD A King 4-11-0 W Hutchinson 13 THE SHROPSHIRE LAD D Skelton 4-11-0 H Skelton 14 4-1 Heated Debate, 5-1 Missed Approach, 6-1 Allycat, 8-1 others.

Wetherby Rob Wright

1.10 Be My Present 2.50 Full Day 1.40 Camachoice 3.25 Big Sound 2.15 Cedre Bleu 4.00 Kathlatino Going: good (good to soft in places) Racing UK

1.10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Novices' Hurdle (£3,422: 2m 4f) (15)

/10-4 AIAAM AL NAMOOS 159 J Wade 5-10-12 Mr J Dawson (5) 431-1 BE MY PRESENT 20 (H) J Ewart 7-10-12 D Bourke (7) 000-P CASUAL CAVALIER 174 J Wade 6-10-12 A Lane P02F- FRIENDLY ROYAL 215P Mrs S Smith 5-10-12 R Mania F463- HATTONS HILL 194P H Hogarth 5-10-12 T Kelly (3) 635-0 IFONLYWECUD 16 (H) C Mulhall 5-10-12 B Harding 60- MISIRLOU 192 T Vaughan 4-10-12 A Coleman /560- PAY THE KING 198 (BF) M D Hammond 7-10-12 J Colliver (5) 55-36 QUICK BREW 16 (H,T) M Barnes 6-10-12 S Mulqueen (7) P0 SIR POSEALOT 131 Miss T Jackson 7-10-12 A Thornton 00-2 TOMORROW'S LEGEND 45 G M Moore 4-10-12 F Keniry 3P0F- TOP CAT DJ 200 C Grant 6-10-12 D O'Regan (7) 21/0- WILLIAM MONEY 541 C Grant 7-10-12 D C Costello 66004 LADY RA 28 L Egerton 5-10-5 W Renwick O31-P THE BOSSES SISTER 180P T Easterby 6-10-5 D Cook

6-5 Be My Present, 3-1 Pay The King, 8-1 Quick Brew, 10-1 others.

Handicap Hurdle

(£5,848: 2m 110y) (13)

3-1 Camachoice, 6-1 Red Inca, 7-1 Lightening Rod, 15-2 Knight In Purple, 8-1 Sleep In First, Teenage Dream, 9-1 Spot The Pro, 12-1 others.

2.15 1 2

Handicap Chase

(Listed: £15,946: 2m 4f 110y) (8)

121U- MWALESHI 306 (C) Mrs S Smith 9-11-12 R Mania 21F-3 DOESLESSTHANME 28 (T,P,D) R Ford 10-11-12 H Challoner (3) 100-P OFF THE GROUND 75 (T,D) Miss E Lavelle 8-11-11 A Coleman /1P6- SILVER ROQUE 190 (T,D) Fergal O'Brien 8-11-10 C Shoemark (3) 3343- TRUSTAN TIMES 202 (C,D) T Easterby 8-11-10 W Renwick 260-2 CEDRE BLEU 175 (T,P,D) C Mann 7-11-9 D C Costello 0U0-P VIVA COLONIA 6 (P,C,D) B Ellison 9-11-8 D Cook 10-40 SHADOWS LENGTHEN 16 (D) M W Easterby 8-10-13 B Harding

7-2 Trustan Times, 4-1 Cedre Bleu, 5-1 Off The Ground, 11-2 Silver Roque, 13-2 Mwaleshi, 7-1 Doeslessthanme, Viva Colonia, 22-1 Shadows Lengthen.

2.50 1 2 3 4 5

Juvenile Hurdle

(Listed: 3-Y-O: £11,390: 2m 110y) (5)

1 BISHOP WULSTAN 23 (B,D) H Whittington 11-4 A Coleman 11 COME ON SUNSHINE 3F (P,D) B Ellison 11-4 W Renwick 112 FULL DAY 34 (D) B Ellison 10-11 D Cook 5350 MAGIC MAGNOLIA 20 (T,B) M Gillard 10-5 T Cannon SICILIAN BAY 63F Miss J Foster 10-5 D C Costello

30-100 Full Day, 6-1 Come On Sunshine, 13-2 Bishop Wulstan, 16-1 Sicilian Bay, 100-1 Magic Magnolia.

3.25

Handicap Chase (£3,899: 3m 1f) (7)

1 232UF MY LAD PERCY 8 (P,BF) M Keighley 6-11-12 Killian Moore (5) D C Costello 2 22141 BIG SOUND 26 (P) M Walford 7-11-10 C Nichol (3) 3 346-2 BALLYBEN 37 (BF) Miss L Russell 6-11-7 4 P0535 PYJAMA GAME 28 (P,D) Mrs R Dobbin 8-11-6 W Renwick J Kington (3) 5 3341U FOOT THE BILL 13 (D) P Holmes 9-10-8 A Coleman 6 UP0-3 BEAU DANDY 174 (B,D) C Grant 9-10-6 D O'Regan (7) 7 P3-21 NEWSPAGE 167P J Wade 8-10-0 7-2 Pyjama Game, 4-1 Ballyben, Beau Dandy, 9-2 Big Sound, 5-1 others.

4.00

Conditional Jockeys' Novices' Handicap Hurdle (£3,422: 2m 6f) (11)

0/64- OSCAR O'SCAR 404 P Kirby 6-11-12 A Nicol (3) 53-24 HEAD OF THE CLASS 31 B Ellison 5-11-11 N Moscrop (6) 4/5-4 BLUE TOP 13F M Walford 5-11-4 T Kelly P-B40 BOB'S CALL 21 T Coyle 5-11-4 J McGrath -5005 BRUNELLO 26 (B) Michael Smith 6-11-3 R Day (5) 65-56 TRAFFICKER 22 G McPherson 7-11-1 R Hatch 3456- SILVER VOGUE 201 Mrs S Smith 6-11-0 C Bewley (6) 240 IZBUSHKA 67 (B) D Thompson 3-10-0 S Mulqueen (3) 6P4-0 DONT CALL ME OSCAR 183 (T,BF) M Keighley 7-10-0 Killian Moore J Colliver (3) 10 3460- KATHLATINO 81F M D Hammond 7-10-0 11 U5-P0 BLUE SEA OF IBROX 18 (B) Alan Brown 6-10-0 G Lavery (5) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

9-2 Brunello, 5-1 Head Of The Class, Oscar O'Scar, 6-1 Bob's Call, Kathlatino, 10-1 Blue Top, 11-1 Silver Vogue, 12-1 Dont Call Me Oscar, 14-1 others.

the times | Friday October 31 2014

FGM

Sport

Rags to riches story of Giants’ perfect pitcher Baseball

Tom Dart Houston

He grew up in a log cabin in rural North Carolina, lives on a farm and wore jeans at his wedding. But the unassuming pitcher dubbed “MadBum” is now the toast of baseball and the biggest sporting star in one of America’s most glamorous cities after leading the San Francisco Giants to World Series glory. The Kansas City Royals had history and home advantage on their side on Wednesday night. But the Giants had Madison Bumgarner, whose performances this month established him as one of the greatest post-season pitchers Major League Baseball has seen. The hirsute 6ft 5in 25-year-old hails from an area locally known as “Bumtown” because there are so many Bumgarners. He sported jeans during the ceremony when he married his high-school sweetheart in 2010. The couple raise horses and cattle on a farm in their home state during the close season and he once gave her a cow as a birthday present. In his rookie year, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, he practised roping cattle by lassoing a team-mate’s garden furniture. Bumgarner pitched the scoreless final five innings of the decisive seventh game on two days’ rest, giving up only two hits as the Giants silenced a boisterous crowd in Kansas City with a 3-2 victory that gave them their third World Series title in the past five seasons. Last Sunday the left-hander pitched the first complete game shutout in the

A place among the greats 6 Madison Bumgarner’s performances against the Kansas City Royals put him among the very best World Series pitchers. 6 Whitey Ford, of the New York Yankees, and nicknamed “The Chairman of the Board”, had ten World Series victories, the most of any pitcher. 6 Babe Ruth, the famed slugger, was an outstanding pitcher for the Boston Red Sox. He won all three of his World Series starts with an earned-run average of 0.87. In game two of the 1916 series he pitched all 14 innings. Words by Tom Dart

4.55

Wolverhampton Rob Wright

4.25 Toto Skyllachy 6.25 Iguacu 4.55 Reggie Bond 6.55 Marmot 5.25 Mary Le Bow 7.25 Algaith 5.55 Koptoon 7.55 Zman Awal Going: standard Tote Jackpot meeting Draw: 5f-7f, low numbers best At The Races

4.25

World Series since 2003 to put the Giants ahead by three games to two. The Royals won on Tuesday to force a winner-takes-all match and looked poised to claim their first World Series for 29 years. Entering the night, no away team had won a World Series game seven in 35 years. Nine had tried and failed. But none had a pitcher as dominant as Bumgarner, who also won the series opener. Including 2010 and 2012, the Giants have won all five of the World Series games that he has appeared in. He has given up only one run and 14 hits in 36 innings. That translates to a minuscule earned-run average of 0.25, the lowest in World Series history

Handicap

(£2,911: 1m 141y) (10)

(9) 00012 SET THE TREND 2 (P,BF) D Dennis 8-10-2 G Downing (5) Jenny Powell (5) (5) 00000 RAKAAN 2 (C,D) B Powell 7-9-10 K Shoemark (7) (7) 15315 GLENNTEN 10 (CD) J Santos 5-9-9 G Baker (2) 16210 TAHAF 23 (T,P,D) W M Brisbourne 4-9-8 (4) 04501 TOTO SKYLLACHY 37 (D) Mrs M Fife 9-9-8 J Butterfield (3) C Beasley (3) 6 (6) 21006 GAMBINO 23 J Riches 4-9-5 R Winston 7 (10) 00041 ZAEEM 17 (P,CD) D Ivory 5-9-4 N Farley (3) 8 (8) 40045 MYSTERIAL 81 Declan Carroll 4-9-2 9 (1) 30005 STEEL STOCKHOLDER 17 (C) M Brittain 8-9-2 G Gibbons Kevin Stott (5) 10 (3) 4022 TAYMA 6 S Bin Suroor 3-8-13

1 2 3 4 5

100-30 Set The Trend, 7-2 Tayma, Toto Skyllachy, 8-1 Zaeem, 9-1 Glennten, Rakaan, 10-1 Gambino, 16-1 Steel Stockholder, Tahaf, 33-1 Mysterial.

Blinkered first time: Newmarket 1.30 Excellent Puck. Wetherby 2.50 Magic Magnolia. 4.00 Brunello. Wolverhampton 5.25 Vied.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Handicap

(£2,911: 1m 141y) (9)

J Butterfield (3) (4) 00001 NAOISE 7 (T,CD) O Pears 6-9-12 L Keniry (3) 00/06 CHERRY STREET 10 (P) D Quinn 5-9-10 G Gibbons (2) 50-20 VENUTIUS 30 (C,D) E McMahon 7-9-10 C Bishop (9) 12103 REGGIE BOND 76 (B,C,D) G Oldroyd 4-9-9 (8) 36603 HARRY BOSCH 39 (B,D) Miss G Kelleway 4-9-8 K Phillips (7) D Allan (1) 0-260 MISTER MARCASITE 76 (D) M Brittain 4-9-5 J Mitchell (5) 326-0 FLICKSTA 21 John Ryan 3-9-4 Josh Doyle (7) (7) 01452 PIM STREET 3 (C,D) D O'Meara 4-9-3 (6) 40002 BOOGANGOO 12 (C,D) G Harris 3-9-2 K Shoemark (7)

5-2 Naoise, 9-2 Boogangoo, Pim Street, 6-1 Reggie Bond, 8-1 Mister Marcasite, 10-1 Harry Bosch, Venutius, 14-1 Flicksta, 25-1 Cherry Street.

DENNY MEDLEY / USA TODAY SPORTS

McDowell on shoulders of the leaders Golf

Neil Gardner

Man of the moment: Bumgarner, who wore jeans at his wedding ceremony and lives on a farm, is the unassuming hero behind the Giants’ World Series triumph

among players who have pitched a similar number of innings. “It was hopeless,” Ned Yost, the Royals manager, said. Inevitably, Bumgarner was named the Most Valuable Player in a post-game ceremony that earned him a pick-up truck to add to his collection. “I was just thinking about getting outs, getting outs until I couldn’t get them any more and we needed someone else. Fortunately I was able to get some quick innings and I was able to stay in there,” he said. As champagne was uncorked in the Giants’ dressing room, unruly celebrations kicked off in San Francisco. The Chronicle described a “rollicking orgy of fire, broken bottles, fistfights, sirens and drunkenness”.

Police said that two men were treated in hospital for gunshot wounds and another was in a serious condition after being repeatedly stabbed. As bottles were thrown, brawls started and fires were lit in streets, riot police attempted to quell the disorder. Back in Missouri, though, all the talk was simply of Bumgarner’s brilliance. “He was truly amazing,” Bruce Bochy, the Giants manager, said. “It was incredible what he did throughout all of this post-season.” “In fact, I was staying away from him every inning because I was hoping he wouldn’t go, ‘I’m starting to get a little tired’, because there’s no way I would have taken him out unless he would have told me that. We just got on his horse and rode it.”

5.25

6.25

Handicap (3-Y-O: £2,264: 1m 1f 103y) (13)

F Tylicki 1 (4) 005 KEEPER'S RING 43 R Varian 9-7 L Jones 2 (12) -0004 TABLEFORTEN 41 (P) J Moore 9-6 J Duern (5) 3 (2) 22432 HER RED DEVIL 15 C Kellett 9-6 K Shoemark (7) 4 (11) 02442 MARY LE BOW 45 (P) V Dartnall 9-6 D Allan 5 (9) 41300 SOOQAAN 63 M Brittain 9-6 D Brock (3) 6 (8) 06063 CROWN PLEASURE 17 W Musson 9-4 L Keniry 7 (1) 00006 LLYRICAL 13 (H) D Haydn Jones 9-3 8 (10) 6000 TOHAVEANDTOHOLD 138 (P) W Haggas 9-0 P Hanagan P P Mathers 9 (3) 05044 MIGUELA MCGUIRE 34 E Alston 9-0 R Da Silva 10 (7) 02015 SUNI DANCER 51 P Green 9-0 11 (5) 04356 SILKEN WATERS 9 (P) E Johnson Houghton 8-13 R Winston G Gibbons 12(13) 60436 VIED 55 (V) D O'Meara 8-13 Luke Morris 13 (6) 4-340 SAN QUENTIN 146J (P) A Carroll 8-9 11-2 Crown Pleasure, 6-1 Keeper's Ring, 7-1 Mary Le Bow, 8-1 others.

Course specialists

5.55

Newmarket: Trainers M Appleby, 3 from 13 runners, 23.1%; M Wigham, 4 from 21, 19.0%. Jockeys S De Sousa, 20 from 116 rides, 17.2%; P Hanagan, 29 from 199, 14.6%. Uttoxeter: Trainers Miss R Curtis, 9 from 32, 28.1%; N Williams, 5 from 18, 27.8%. Jockeys A P McCoy, 57 from 269, 21.2%; G Sheehan, 10 from 49, 20.4%. Wetherby: Trainers B Ellison, 19 from 95, 20.0%; T Vaughan, 7 from 45, 15.6%. Jockeys A Nicol, 5 from 18, 27.8%; A Coleman, 5 from 22, 22.7%. Wolverhampton: Trainers S Bin Suroor, 33 from 97, 34.0%; R Varian, 20 from 66, 30.3%. Jockey C Beasley, 12 from 53, 22.6%.

1 (5) 44022 LIGHTSCAMERACTION 20 (D,BF) Miss G Kelleway 9-7 J Duern (5) 2 (2) 4312 KOPTOON 16 (T,P,BF) T Dascombe 9-0 Stephen Craine C Bishop 3 (1) 40221 BILLYOAKES 7 (D) M Channon 8-10 P Hanagan 4 (3) 42110 JOHNNY B GOODE 42 (D) R Fahey 8-9 5 (4) 01145 AR COLLEEN AINE 10 (CD) M Channon 8-0 Luke Morris 6 (6) 14334 SOMEDAYSRDIAMONDS 10 (P,D) J Moore 8-0 J Quinn

Nursery Handicap

(2-Y-O: £9,057: 5f 20y) (6)

11-4 Billyoakes, 3-1 Lightscameraction, 7-2 Koptoon, 4-1 others.

Rob Wright’s midday update thetimes.co.uk/sportsbook

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Handicap

Bet of the day

(£2,264: 2m 119y) (8)

J Egan (5) 31563 ANNALUNA 22 (V,D) P D Evans 5-10-0 J Mitchell (1) 35425 BLACK ICEMAN 13 (C) L Pearce 6-9-6 B Bosley (7) (4) -0064 VOLCANIC JACK 34J M Chapman 6-9-5 P Aspell (3) 06033 YORKSHIREMAN 13 (B) Miss L Siddall 4-9-4 L Keniry (7) -4300 VERTUEUX 23J (P,C,D) A Carroll 9-9-3 Luke Morris (6) 60223 DARK DAYS 15 (T) P Cole 3-9-2 (8) 0-605 WEYBRIDGE LIGHT 31J (B,C) D Thompson 9-9-1 J Quinn C Bishop (2) 040-3 IGUACU 8J (C) R Price 10-9-0

11-4 Annaluna, 3-1 Dark Days, 7-2 Vertueux, 9-1 Black Iceman, Yorkshireman, 11-1 Volcanic Jack, 14-1 Iguacu, Weybridge Light.

6.55

Graeme McDowell is two strokes off the pace after a first-round 67 at the BMW Masters in Shanghai, the first leg of the Race to Dubai. The world No 17 from Northern Ireland did not drop a shot as he recorded five birdies at the Lake Malaren Masters course. Alexander Lévy, of France, holds the lead after he shot a five-under-par 65 to claim a one-stroke advantage from Romain Wattel, his compatriot, Nicolas Colsaerts, of Belgium, and Emiliano Grillo, of Argentina Lévy started with five successive birdies as he attempted to follow up wins at the China Open in April and the rain-shortened Portugal Masters three weeks ago. McDowell’s Ryder Cup colleagues, Thomas Bjorn and Jamie Donaldson, each shot 68 with Victor Dubuisson just behind on 70. The tournament is the first of four in the European Tour’s Final Series of events in the Race to Dubai, with a first prize of €920,652 (about £725,000). The World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions event, also in Shanghai, takes place next week followed by the Turkish Airlines Open before reaching a climax at the World Tour Championship in Dubai. However, the top three in the Race to Dubai standings are all missing from the BMW Masters line-up in Shanghai. Rory McIlroy, the world No 1, holds a lead of more than €3 million in prize money at the top of the standings but is preparing for a court case against Horizon, his former management company in Ireland. Sergio García and Henrik Stenson, his nearest challengers, are also absent, with Garcia, of Spain, competing in Malaysia on the US PGA Tour. Stenson withdrew after the birth of his third child on Sunday.

Maiden Stakes

(2-Y-O: £2,264: 7f 32y) (12)

0 BANGERS 21 T Dascombe 9-5 Stephen Craine 1 (1) 24 BLEU ASTRAL 30 (BF) R Fahey 9-5 P Hanagan 2 (4) J Fahy 3 (10) 30320 GORING 27 Eve Johnson Houghton 9-5 5 MARMOT 49 R Charlton 9-5 G Baker 4 (3) 60 NIGHT GENERATION 21 Sir M Prescott 9-5 Luke Morris 5 (6) 4 PADLOCK 21 D Simcock 9-5 D Sweeney 6 (12) 52 UNNOTICED 21 O Pears 9-5 R Winston 7 (11) 50 BROSNAN 7 (P) N Quinlan 9-0 T Atkinson (5) 8 (8) 0 DIPPINGANDDIVING 100 J Santos 9-0 I Goncalves 9 (2) 0 MINNIE 34 J Farrelly 9-0 S Donohoe 10 (7) 0 RIALTO MAGIC 15 J Osborne 9-0 Racheal Kneller (5) 11 (5) 04 VIVRE LA REVE 17 J Unett 9-0 A Beschizza 12 (9) 5-2 Bleu Astral, 9-2 Goring, Unnoticed, 6-1 Marmot, 8-1 Padlock, 10-1 Brosnan, 14-1 Rialto Magic, 16-1 Bangers, 20-1 Night Generation, 25-1 Vivre La Reve, 40-1 Minnie, 100-1 Dippinganddiving.

Ventura Quest (1.30 Newmarket) Failed to stay a mile and a half here last time but previous third at Chester reads well and he can make the most of this drop in grade

7.25 1 2 3 4

(4) (2) (1) (3)

Novice Stakes

(2-Y-O: £6,469: 7f 32y) (4) 01 ALGAITH 23 (D) B Hills 9-7 P Hanagan 21 CLASSIC COLLECTION 16 (D) S Bin Suroor 9-7 F Tylicki MERHOOB M Botti 9-0 Luke Morris 643 LIBERAL ANGEL 35 K Burke 8-9 J Haynes (3)

6-5 Classic Collection, 3-1 Algaith, 4-1 Merhoob, 9-2 Liberal Angel.

7.55

Fillies Handicap (£3,235: 7f 32y) (12)

1 (9) 02010 SIMPLY SHINING 55 (D) R Fahey 4-9-7 Sammy Jo Bell (5) D Allan 2 (10) 100 COOL MUSIC 74 (D) M Brittain 4-9-4 F Tylicki 3 (4) 01605 ZMAN AWAL 28 (D) J Fanshawe 3-9-3 R Tate (3) 4 (11) -2155 BYRON'S GOLD 53 B De Haan 3-9-2 Kevin Stott (5) 5 (2) 0030 ZYNAH 17 (P) S Bin Suroor 3-9-0 N Farley (3) 6 (6) 42020 TWEETY PIE 30 Declan Carroll 3-8-13 C Beasley (3) 7 (5) 00063 BINT DANDY 30 C Dwyer 3-8-13 Luke Morris 8 (12) 00-30 DON'T BE 99 Sir M Prescott 4-8-12 J Hart 9 (7) 21066 THE DUKKERER 4 (D) G Moss 3-8-12 G Gibbons 10 (3) 45500 MILLY'S SECRET 13 D O'Meara 3-8-11 J Egan 11 (8) 43250 BINT MALYANA 24 (H,C,D) P D'Arcy 3-8-11 J Garritty (5) 12 (1) 60102 LIL SOPHELLA 7 (D) P Holmes 5-8-7 6-1 Zman Awal, Zynah, 13-2 Bint Dandy, 8-1 Bint Malyana, 10-1 others.

Yesterday’s racing results Lingfield Park

Going: standard

12.50 (7f) 1, Crystal Zvezda (S Kelly, 4-7 fav); 2, Nancy Astor (12-1); 3, Fine View (5-1). 10 ran. NR: Sweet Persuasion. 1Kl, Kl. Sir M Stoute. 1.20 (7f) 1, Alfajer (M Harley, 7-4); 2, Sharqeyih (11-10 fav); 3, Sur Empire (20-1). 11 ran. 2Nl, nk. M Botti. 1.50 (7f) 1, Rattling Jewel (L P Keniry, 25-1); 2, Hills And Dales (5-2 fav); 3, Wind In My Sails (5-1). 10 ran. NR: Alfie The Pug, Sweet Dancer. Nk, 1Ol. A Balding. 2.20 (1m 2f) 1, All Talk N No Do (A Kirby, 8-1); 2, Little Buxted (3-1 jt-fav); 3, Leonard Thomas (3-1 jt-fav). 10 ran. NR: Persepolis. 1l, Ol. S Durack. 2.50 (1m) 1, Tearless (A Kirby, 4-1); 2, Lamar (20-1); 3, Wahgah (9-4 fav). 11 ran. NR: Meeting Waters. 1Nl, Kl. C Appleby.

3.20 (1m 5f) 1, Hidden Gold (F Tylicki, 5-4 fav); 2, Miss Marjurie (25-1); 3, Alwilda (33-1). 14 ran. 1Ol, nk. S bin Suroor. 3.50 (7f) 1, Prince’s Trust (S W Kelly, 5-1); 2, Music Theory (14-1); 3, Intransigent (9-4 fav). 13 ran. NR: Brocklebank. Kl, Kl. W Haggas. 4.20 (7f) 1, Pour La Victoire (George Downing, 5-2 fav); 2, Mon Cigar (20-1); 3, Meddling (25-1). 12 ran. NR: Blue Bounty, Lead A Merry Dance. Hd, 1Kl. A Carroll. Jackpot: not won (pool of £13,527.74 carried forward to Wolverhampton today). Placepot: £12.30. Quadpot: £10.70.

Sedgefield

Going: good to soft (good in places) 1.00 (2m 1f hdle) 1, Golden Jubilee (Ryan Hatch, 6-5 fav); 2, Nautical Twilight (14-1); 3, Auto Mac (9-1). 14 ran. Hd, 8l. N Twiston-Davies.

1.30 (2m 4f ch) 1, Sharp Rise (B Hughes, 9-1); 2, Island Heights (9-2); 3, Ballymoat (12-1). Silver Gent (6th) 3-1 fav. 8 ran. 7l, 9l. Miss P Robson. 2.00 (2m 4f hdle) 1, Acordingtoscript (Harry Challoner, 8-1); 2, Spitz (5-1); 3, Snowed In (18-1). Sendiym (4th) 11-4 fav. 13 ran. NR: Trend Is My Friend. 7l, 9l. M Todhunter. 2.30 (3m 3f hdle) 1, Rev It Up (A Johns, 9-4); 2, Grape Tree Flame (5-2); 3, High Talk (5-1). Night In Milan 2-1 fav. 4 ran. 1Nl, 11l. T Vaughan. 3.00 (3m 6f ch) 1, Royale Knight (D A Jacob, 11-4 fav); 2, Lackamon (10-1); 3, Kilbree Kid (10-1). 12 ran. 17l, 5l. Dr R Newland. 3.30 (2m ch) 1, Carters Rest (Miss J Walton, 8-1); 2, Oorayvic (11-8 fav); 3, Dynamic Drive (6-1). 8 ran. 4Kl, 8l. G Bewley. 4.00 (2m 1f flat) 1, Professor Plum (K Renwick, 20-1); 2, Dean’s Walk (25-1); 3, Smooth Stepper (10-1). After Toniight (4th) 9-4 jt-fav. Chitu 9-4 jt-fav. 11 ran. NR: Laika. 3Nl, 6l. Mrs R Dobbin. Placepot: £221.80. Quadpot: £38.90.

Stratford

Going: good (good to soft in places)

1.10 (2m 6f 110yd hdle) 1, Native River (Brendan Powell, 8-1); 2, Mount Haven (11-4 fav); 3, Velvet Cognac (17-2). 13 ran. NR: Royalraise. 3Ol, 9l. C Tizzard. 1.40 (2m 3f hdle) 1, Street Entertainer (T Scudamore, 4-6 fav); 2, Gud Day (4-1); 3, Debt To Society (5-1). 7 ran. NR: Stay Tuned, Ya Hafed. 3Ol, 9l. D Pipe. 2.10 (2m 1f 110yd ch) 1, Cody Wyoming (G Sheehan, 9-4 fav); 2, It’s A Steal (5-1); 3, Faustina Pius (28-1). 8 ran. NR: Lysino. 2Kl, 3Kl. C Mann. 2.40 (2m 110yd hdle) 1, Vinnie Red (Paul Moloney, 5-1); 2, Summer Storm (11-4); 3, Pull The Chord (5-2 fav). 13 ran. NR: Baby King. 5l, 2Nl. E Williams. 3.10 (2m 7f ch) 1, No Duffer (P J Brennan, 8-1);

2, Castle Conflict (4-1); 3, Shy John (8-1). Water Wagtail (6th) 11-4 fav. 7 ran. 8l, Ol. T George. 3.40 (2m 4f ch) 1, Bertie Boru (T J O’Brien, 15-2); 2, Anquetta (16-1); 3, Like Minded (6-1). Ohio Gold (4th) 5-1 fav. 10 ran. NR: Daymar Bay. Nk, 16l. P Hobbs. 4.10 (2m 6f 110yd hdle) 1, Full Ov Beans (Miss A Stirling, 6-1); 2, Always Bold (9-2); 3, Speed Check (9-4 fav). 11 ran. 1Nl, 4l. M Gates. Placepot: £93.10. Quadpot: £48.90.

Kempton Park

Going: standard 4.30 (1m 3f) 1, New Colours (M Dwyer, 4-5 fav); 2, Les Gar Gan (6-4); 3, Emperor Ferdinand (12-1). 4 ran. 1Ol, 5l. M P Tregoning. 5.00 (6f) 1, Upstaging (Jim Crowley, 5-1); 2, Absolute Champion (5-1); 3, British Art (4-6 fav). 11 ran. 1Kl, 1N. P F I Cole. 5.30 (6f) 1, Steelriver (S W Kelly, 7-1); 2, Pipers

Note (14-1); 3, Secondo (12-1). Mission Approved (5th) 7-4 fav. 12 ran. Ol, 2N. M Herrington. 6.00 (1m) 1, Khusoosy (P Hanagan, 7-2); 2, Landwade Lad (9-4 fav); 3, Todegica (8-1). 7 ran. 1Kl, 1l. S bin Suroor. 6.30 (1m) 1, Billingsgate (A Kirby, 11-2); 2, Tigers Tale (13-2); 3, Heisman (5-1). Momayyaz (5th) 3-1 fav. 14 ran. Ol, hd. C Appleby. 7.00 (1m) 1, Cadmium (Leah-Anne Avery, 4-1); 2, Silvee (20-1); 3, Flumps (20-1). Tsarglas 2-1 fav. 12 ran. NR: Heinrich. 1Ol, 1N. H J L Dunlop. 7.30 (7f) 1, Spinning Cobblers (Graham Gibbons, 12-1); 2, Rocky’s Pride (11-4); 3, Genax (2-1 fav). 10 ran. NR: Datanarra. 6l, 1N. S C Williams. 8.00 (7f) 1, Dream And Hope (Danny Brock, 2-1 fav); 2, Copper Cavalier (5-1); 3, Clary (8-1). 10 ran. NR: La Paiva. 1l, 2l. P J McBride. Placepot: £112.50. Quadpot: £115.40.

FGM

Friday October 31 2014 | the times

Sport

England pair insist time will not soothe the Pietersen scars Cricket

Richard Hobson Deputy Cricket Correspondent

Stuart Broad anticipates a merry evening 30 years hence when the England team who reached No 1 in the Test rankings are together again to hark back over a magnum of red wine. “I believe it is quite a decent crew and we will be able to do that,” he says. What about Kevin Pietersen, will he be there? Broad and James Anderson smile at the question. “I think he would have a lot of front to turn up,” Anderson says. “Well,” Broad adds, “there is a sign at Lord’s that says any player is welcome at the captain or coach’s discretion. So it is not up to me.” They laugh, before Broad turns deadly serious. “I am very close to Matt Prior,” he says. “It was a bit cruel what he said about Matt, one of the best team men I have played with, a guy who would run himself out for nought for the team to win. “I respect Matt a huge amount and what Kev said about him was a way to get publicity to sell books. I think Kev was wrong, and I think Matt was deeply

World Cup history 6 Stuart Broad made his World Cup debut in 2007 as a replacement for Jon Lewis 6 He returned early from the 2011 tournament because of a side strain 6 In all he has taken six wickets in four appearances in the competition 6 James Anderson will equal the England record of Graham Gooch and Alec Stewart when he appears in his fourth World Cup 6 He burst on the scene with ten wickets in five matches in 2003, but dipped in 2007 and was then dropped during the 2011 event

upset about it. I would invite Kev, but I would make him buy his own drinks and that would be unlikely.” The new-ball attack are together in London to promote the FTI Most Valuable Player rankings. Broad was the top England player last winter, Anderson toppled him in the summer. Dapper and personable in bespoke team suits they hardly look like bullies, an allegation levelled in Pietersen’s autobiography. Anderson actually came out the book reasonably well, being described by his former team-mate as the nicest man in the world. “More fiction,” jokes Broad, who had the good sense to be abroad on holiday on publication day. “There wasn’t bullying, no,” Anderson says, bemused. “It is certainly not how I remember it. What bowler doesn’t have a go after a dropped catch? It is part of the game. Nothing overspilled into the dressing room. There might have been a two-minute thing on the field, but it never carried on any longer. “We were trying to win Ashes series and become the No 1 team in the world. We set high standards for ourselves as individuals and for each other. We tried to push each other. I thought that helped us to be a successful team.” Broad relates to the Trent Bridge Ashes Test of 2013 to show how firm players could be with each other but to profitable effect. Anderson was becoming grumpy and swearing after a couple of nicks and a misfield. “I said to him, ‘Jim, calm down,’ ” Broad says. “He had a go back and I said, ‘You’re being a such-and-such, rein it in,’ I called him a really terrible word, but it turned him round and he got wickets. Is that bullying? I would not say so.” The emergence of so many fresh players last summer tells Broad that the dressing room is healthy and senior players are encouraging rather than daunting. “Those last three Test wins against India were some of the strongest I have been involved with,” he

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says. “There could not be a better example of the environment being good for the youngsters.” The pair have also been in the position of promoting autobiographies. Had they felt inclined to dish dirt? “No,” Anderson says, “I tried to give an honest account of my life up to that point.” And Broad: “I quite enjoyed doing mine, I was talking about good times.” Therein probably lies the tragedy of the Pietersen book, however readable and thought-provoking it may be. “I find it a shame,” Anderson says. “I think with the amount of good he did in his career, he was one of our best ever batsmen and we hear very little of that.” If Pietersen is around the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand that begins in February it will be as a media voice. Anderson, though, is a sure 6 Richie Benaud is set to make his broadcasting return a year after a serious car crash. The 84-year-old former Australia captain, revered throughout cricket and one of sport’s best-loved commentators, sustained shoulder and chest injuries in October last year.

Red alert: Anderson and Broad helped England get to the Champions Trophy final last year and they feel they can match that success in next year’s World Cup

selection and Broad has almost won his fitness battle after a knee operation last month. He will visit the surgeon for a final check next week and join the fast bowlers on the Performance Programme in South Africa on December 1. Broad believes that the World Cup is not unfinished so much as unstarted business for England. “We have been crap at all the World Cups I can remember,” he says. That, they feel, may be about to change. “The last two in West Indies then India were on slow tracks that did not suit us,” Broad says. “If we had to pick anywhere, you would say England or Australia. In the Champions Trophy last year at home we reached the final and actually should have won. We can expect that of ourselves again.” 6 FTI Consulting has supported England via the MVP rankings since 2007. Visit www.fticonsulting.com/FTIMVP

Hamilton fears double trouble as season nears final straight Formula One

Kevin Eason Motor Racing Correspondent, Austin

The rules are the only blot on Lewis Hamilton’s landscape. The driver, who loves art and turned up for preparations for the US Grand Prix yesterday wearing a golden picture frame around his neck, gave a succinct view of one of Formula One’s most controversial new regulations. The final race of this season will be for double points — and Hamilton said simply: “It sucks.” A victory in Austin, one of Hamilton’s favourite venues, on Sunday would take his tally of victories for this season to ten and to 32 over his career — one more than Nigel Mansell, with whom he shares the record for the most wins by a British driver. Yet a car failure or mishap during the

last grand prix of the season in Abu Dhabi could open the door for Nico Rosberg, his Mercedes team-mate and nearest challenger, to sweep past him to claim the world championship. Hamilton was attempting to remain philosophical, but the awful reality is dawning that a season of runaway success could be sunk by a single performance. “This is a rule they have brought in for the first time and we have to deal with it and hope for the best,” he said. “But it would suck [if he lost in Abu Dhabi]. You get to the last race, all the work you have done through the season, and then you don’t get off the line or your car goes on fire in qualifying. You never know what is going to happen. I know what it is like to go to the last race and lose the championship and that is not an energy I want. “I don’t feel that is going to happen: the car has been going great for the last

Hamilton says that the double points rule for the season’s final race “sucks”

four races and I hope it will be great for the final three.” Rules appear to be the bane of this grand prix, too, with Sebastian Vettel expected to sit out of qualifying because of a penalty for an illegal engine change, while Jenson Button will also serve a five-place grid penalty after exceeding his gearbox allocation. After being brought up in the sport by McLaren, Hamilton has become a Mercedes man, underlined by the Andy Warhol replica print of eight Mercedes SL coupé cars in the gold frame around his neck. Mercedes are anxious to tie him to a new contract as soon as possible and have ruled out approaching anyone else. The sadness of missing friends and colleagues left behind in Britain, with Marussia and Caterham absent from Austin after entering administration, was added to by a bulletin from Japan

on the health of Jules Bianchi, who suffered terrible head injuries in a crash during the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka this month. The Marussia driver remains critical but stable after almost four weeks in hospital. Charlie Whiting, the race director, was meeting teams and officials last night to discuss trialling a “virtual safety car” during practice for the US Grand Prix today as the sport searches for ways to avoid a repeat of the Bianchi accident. The plan is to send an electronic signal to drivers to slow them down to a set lap time when there are accidents on the circuit. That will be a first step while F1 waits for a panel of experts, including Ross Brawn, the former Mercedes team principal, to report on the details of the crash at Suzuka that left Bianchi, 25, with his horrific injuries. His family remain at his bedside in Yokkaichi.

the times | Friday October 31 2014

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Sport

London calling as Murray puts seal on place in ATP Finals Tennis

Ron Lewis Paris

Andy Murray is seldom happier than when he has a bit of a chip on his shoulder to act as motivation. So among the relief and delight he must have felt when he defeated Grigor Dimitrov yesterday to finally secure his place at the Barclays ATP Finals, he chose to send a message to all the doubters and naysayers. “Bad year,” he wrote above his signature when doing tennis’s traditional winning sign-off for television viewers. Considering this time last year he was recovering from back surgery, the implication was that he considered this a good year. “It wasn’t a jibe,” Murray said when pressed. “It’s a bit of fun. I mean, if people are going to ask me all the time why I’ve had such a poor year by my standards, then, yeah, you’re allowed to say something in response to that. I don’t tend to do that often, but it’s been a hard year, a tough year, but it hasn’t been a bad year. “It could have been a lot worse. Coming back from a surgery is not easy at all, and I learnt that. The first few months of this year it was very difficult and I had to dig deep at the end in some ways to salvage the year, if you like. But, yeah, it’s been a good year. Not been my best year, but I would’ve signed up for being in this

Line-up takes shape Already qualified Stanislas Wawrinka, Novak Djokovic, Marin Cilic, Roger Federer, Andy Murray. Rafael Nadal qualified, but has withdrawn through injury. Nearly there Kei Nishikori and Tomas Berdych will qualify if they win today, or if David Ferrer or Milos Raonic lose. Still battling Ferrer and Raonic must win the Paris title to be sure of qualifying. If both lose at the same stage, Ferrer will qualify.

position when I had the surgery last year.” Murray certainly seems to be finishing it on a high. There was a score to settle with Dimitrov, who had ended the Scot’s reign as Wimbledon champion when beating him in straight sets in the quarter-finals of the Championships this summer. Yesterday, Murray ended Dimitrov’s season in emphatic style, the 6-3, 6-3 beating he handed out in the last 16 at the BNP Paribas Masters ensuring the Bulgarian will not be in London for the ATP Finals on Sunday week. Murray played with a swagger and bossed the 23-year-old. Both have achieved three tournament wins this year, but while Dimitrov’s victories came early, Murray’s all arrived in the past five weeks. There has been a fear that Murray could be burning himself out with his heavy schedule, but the player believes that he has been playing himself into form and he brushed aside Dimitrov in 69 minutes. While the Bulgarian became prone to errors, Murray looked rock solid, particularly on his serve. Dimitrov did not have a single break point and Murray never looked threatened. Whenever Dimitrov seemed to step up a gear, Murray raised his game. “When I dropped out of the top ten, I thought it was time to get my head down and start to win the less glamorous events, and change my schedule and it’s worked out well, thankfully,” he said. Novak Djokovic or Gaël Monfils await in today’s quarter-finals. Murray has never made the semifinals here but he could not have got to this stage in better form. After six weeks on the road he gets to return home next week, although he doubts that he will take up the chance to watch his mother, Judy, compete in Strictly Come Dancing, presuming she can survive the public vote for another week. “It would probably be quite a tough watch for me,” he admitted. “It’s been a long six weeks so I’m quite looking forward to being in my own bed and

MIGUEL MEDINA / GETTY IMAGES

Snooker Mark Williams claimed a new fitness regime helped him to end his 12-year losing streak against Ronnie O’Sullivan. Williams, 39, the two-times world champion from Wales, defeated O’Sullivan 6-5 in the quarter-finals at the International Championship in Chengdu, China. “I have lost two stone — eating better and exercising,” said Williams, who plays Mark Allen, the Ulsterman, in the semi-finals tomorrow. “I have beaten the best, so why not the title now?” Williams added. Allen beat Michael White 6-3. Today’s semi-final is between Ricky Walden and Rob Milkins.

Hoekstra to quit GB

Fast work: Murray makes a backhand return on his way to a straight-sets victory over Dimitrov as his impressive end-of-season form continued yesterday in Paris

my own home for a few days, rather than watching some very average dancing. “She’s absolutely loved it. I think what she’s found quite hard is doing the performing. She’s concentrating so hard on doing the dance correctly and not forgetting stuff that she maybe doesn’t show that she’s enjoying it that much. “But from what she’s said to me it’s been the best fun she’s had in such a long time. But for her it’s tough on the body. She’s doing six hours of dancing three days a week to get ready and then they do the show. Being in heels and stuff, she doesn’t normally wear them, she’s normally in trainers. I’ve only seen two of the dances but she’s having a good time. That’s the most important thing.”

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Results Cricket

Football

Tennis

Second Test Pakistan v Australia

Italian league: Verona 1 Lazio 1.

ATP BNP Paribas Masters Paris: Third round: A Murray (GB) bt G Dimitrov (Bul) 6-3, 6-3; T Berdych (Cz) bt F López (Sp) 7-5, 6-3; K Anderson (SA) bt S Wawrinka (Switz) 6-7, 7-5, 7-6; D Ferrer (Sp) bt F Verdasco (Sp) 6-1, 6-2; M Raonic (Can) bt R Bautista-Agut (Sp) 7-5, 7-6; K Nishikori (Japan) bt J-W Tsonga (Fr) 6-1, 4-6, 6-4; R Federer (Switz) bt L Pouille (Fr) 6-4, 6-4.

Abu Dhabi (first day of five; Pakistan won toss): Pakistan have 304 for two wickets against Australia Pakistan: First Innings Ahmed Shehzad lbw b Lyon 35 Mohammad Hafeez c Haddin b Johnson 45 Azhar Ali not out 101 Younus Khan not out 111 Extras (b 3, lb 6, nb 3) 12 Total (2 wkts, 88 overs) 304 *Misbah-ul-Haq, Asad Shafiq, †Sarfraz Ahmed, Zulfiqar Babar, Yasir Shah, Rahat Ali and Imran Khan to bat. Fall of wickets: 1-57, 2-96. Bowling: Johnson 18-4-50-1; Starc 110-37-0; Siddle 17-5-39-0; Lyon 23-186-1; Marsh 6-0-23-0; Maxwell 8-136-0; Clarke 2-0-7-0; Smith 3-0-17-0. Australia: C J L Rogers, D A Warner, G J Maxwell, *M J Clarke, S P D Smith, M R Marsh, †B J Haddin, M A Starc, M G Johnson, P M Siddle, N M Lyon. Umpires: R A Kettleborough (England) and N J Llong (England).

Golf US PGA Tour CIMB Classic Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Leading first-round scores (United States unless stated): 65: R Kalberg (Swe). 67: B Hurley III, B Stuard, A Que (Phil). 68: T Wilkinson (Aus), R Moore, K Streelman, D Love III, Noh Seung Yul (S Kor), J Overton, P Meesawat (Thai), D Lingmerth (Swe). European Tour BMW Masters Shanghai: Leading first-round scores: 65: A Lévy (Fr). 66: R Wattel (Fr), N Colsaerts (Bel), E Grillo (Arg). 67: G McDowell (N Ire). 68: M Siem (Ger), O Wilson (GB), T Bjorn (Den), B Grace (SA), R Sterne (SA), J Donaldson (GB).

Snooker International Championship Chengdu, China: Quarter-finals: M Allen (N Ire) bt M White (Wales) 6-3; R Walden (Eng) bt J Burnett (Eng) 6-1; R Milkins (Eng) bt M Fu (HK) 6-5; M Williams (Wales) bt R O’Sullivan (Eng) 6-5.

Williams ends 12-year wait to beat O’Sullivan

WTA Garanti Koza Tournament of Champions Sofia, Bulgaria: Group A: G Muguruza (Sp) bt F Pennetta (It) 0-6, 6-1, 6-1; A Cornet (Fr) bt E Makarova (Russ) 6-1, 6-4. WTA Yinzhou Bank International Open Ningbo, China: Second round: Zheng Saisai (China) bt Hsieh Su-wei (Taiwan) 6-4, 6-4; Zhu Lin (China) bt A Kudryavtseva (Russ) 6-2, 6-4; M Linette (Pol) bt Xu Yifan (China) 6-1, 6-4; Duan Yingying Duan (China) bt E Kulichkova (Russ) 5-7, 6-3.

Fixtures Football

Rugby union

Kick-off 7.45 Sky Bet Championship: Norwich v Bolton. League Two: Accrington Stanley v Morecambe. Scottish Premiership: St Johnstone v Motherwell.

Guinness PRO12 (7.35): Glasgow v Benetton Treviso; Leinster v Edinburgh; Ospreys v Connacht. Ulster Bank Irish League: First division: Buccaneers v Corinthians (7.30).

Rugby league

Other sport

Alitalia European Cup: Scotland v France (7.30, at Netherdale, Gala RFC).

Ice hockey: Rapid Solicitors Elite League: Belfast v Braehead (7.0).

Equestrianism Rob Hoekstra, who has overseen one of the most successful eras in British showjumping, is to step down as performance manager at the end of the year (Jenny MacArthur writes). During Hoekstra’s five-year tenure Great Britain have won Olympic and European team gold, but his departure follows a disappointing World Equestrian Games this summer, when Britain finished 18th.

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Friday October 31 2014 | the times

Sport

Pardew’s B-side bringing A-game TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER, BRADLEY ORMESHER

George Caulkin Northern Sports Correspondent

To give him his due, Alan Pardew has been consistent, even if little else has. During a glut of summer signings, in the frustrating final moments of the transfer window and when traumatic results made his words sounds hollow, the Newcastle United manager maintained the same line — that this was the deepest, strongest squad of his spell at the club. The past few transformative days have given credence to his claim. Concerns that Newcastle lack power in attack and cover in defence have not been dissolved by three consecutive victories — wins that have lifted the club into a mid-table position and into the quarter-finals of the Capital One Cup — but the story of their recovery, early though it is, features unheralded protagonists. Some are young, some old; some foreign, some local, but each has made a valuable contribution. Gabriel Obertan, whose career had faltered after his departure from Manchester United three years ago, scored the winner against Leicester City on October 18; he had been expected to leave St James’ Park in the summer. Sammy Ameobi, the local whose potential has developed haltingly, and Ayoze Pérez, who cost £1.6 million, plundered the crucial goals against Tottenham Hotspur last weekend. On Wednesday night, when Newcastle dispatched Manchester City, the holders, from the competition by a 2-0 scoreline, the opening goal was scored by Rolando Aarons, the precocious, lightning-quick teenager who has made only four senior appearances. There was an excellent performance by Paul Dummett at centre back and a vigorous, emotional return for Ryan Taylor after a two-year absence with injury. With more established personnel wilting, it is the others who have either

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Daniel Sturridge is set to miss the most pivotal week in Liverpool’s season so far, prompting Brendan Rodgers to consider offering an unexpected lifeline to Fabio Borini as he looks to improve the movement and threat posed by his attack. Despite making progress in his recovery from his latest injury, a calf strain suffered in training two weeks ago, Sturridge is not expected to be available for Liverpool’s Champions League tie away to Real Madrid on Tuesday or their Barclays Premier League clash at Anfield with Chelsea, his former club, four days later. “I don’t think he will be fit,” the Liverpool manager said. “The bottom line is that he is injured. He strained his calf. So he is injured. We will just wait and work with him until he gets fit. Hope-

Uefa, European football’s governing body, is set to come under increasing pressure to allow away supporters to attend matches at clubs whose own fans have been banned due to racism. Football Supporters Europe (FSE), the umbrella group which represents fans’ interests, will urge Uefa to exempt away fans from any such ban when both parties hold talks in Nyon today. The talks have been agreed after Manchester City fans flew over to watch City’s Champions League tie away to CSKA Moscow last week, only to find themselves excluded. Up to 300 CSKA supporters entered the stadium, despite the ban on the club’s fans from attending. Kevin Miles, of FSE, said: “We don’t see why away fans should be included in any ban.You are punishing the innocent.”

Warnock to plead case Neil Warnock has denied a charge of improper conduct and will plead his case at an FA hearing next week. The Crystal Palace manager was charged with misconduct relating to his side’s 2-1 home defeat by Chelsea a fortnight ago. Warnock said that Craig Pawson, the referee, was “influenced” by Chelsea players and sought to “even up” matters by sending off Damien Delaney after dismissing César Azpilicueta.

Forest net Ince on loan Howay the lads: Aarons, who scored against City, is one of Pardew’s young hopefuls helping to fire Newcastle into action

lifted those around them or simply replaced them. At the Etihad Stadium, the effect was remarkable — a nominally weakened team tearing City apart in a manner that was as welcome as it was unexpected. “Without a shadow of a doubt — and I felt this even before we had these results — this is the strongest group I have had since I’ve been here,” Pardew said. He pointed to a clutch of youngsters: “Aarons, Dummett, [Adam] Armstrong, [Freddie] Woodman in goal, who is going to come through, Lubomir Satka, who you haven’t seen yet.” Aarons, the 18-year-old Jamaicanborn winger who has appeared for England Under-20, stirs excitement. “It helps to have so many young players playing in these games together,” Pardew said. “Young players help to bring enthusiasm and drive and I think that’s showed. It’s obviously benefiting us.” There have already been compari-

Teens are talk of the Toon Rolando Aarons Born: Kingston, Jamaica Age: 18 Position: winger International: England Under-20 Signed from: Bristol City in 2012 Debut: August 17, 2014 vs Manchester City Newcastle first-team appearances: 4 Goals 2 Adam Armstrong Born: Newcastle upon Tyne Age: 17 Position: striker International: England Under-18 Signed from: n/a Debut: March 3, 2014 vs Fulham Newcastle first-team appearances: 6 Goals: 0

sons with Raheem Sterling but Aarons dismisses them. “I’m just focused on playing football,” he said. “Sterling has played really well and I’m nowhere near that level yet. He’s played at a World Cup and I’ve only played three or four games for Newcastle.” At the other end of the spectrum, Taylor is also relishing the simple pleasures. Out for 26 months after two cruciate knee ligament injuries, the 30year-old played the entirety of the win over City and was outstanding, in midfield and at right back. “To play again is a dream come true,” he said. “I’ve had two years of hell, so to play again, with this team, for this manager, in front of these fans; it means the world to me. “I never had any doubt I could still do it. Self-confidence and self-belief has never left me. I just had to make sure I never lost patience or heart.” The same, of course, applies to Pardew.

Sturridge injury may keep door open for Borini Tony Barrett

Uefa under pressure to rethink supporters ban

fully we will get that bit of luck when he comes back. When he comes back, hopefully we will have him for the rest of the season.” Rodgers maintains that he has the necessary squad depth to cope without the England forward and he is ready to hand Borini the opportunity to replace Sturridge, in the short term at least, when Liverpool face Newcastle United at St James’ Park tomorrow. Borini’s probable involvement on Tyneside comes after an encouraging display in

Liverpool’s 2-1 win over Swansea City in the Capital One Cup on Tuesday, in which the Italy striker created Mario Balotelli’s equaliser and drew plaudits from his manager. That Borini is under consideration at all is remarkable given Liverpool’s unsuccessful attempt to sell him during the summer, only for the 23year-old to refuse to move despite being informed by Rodgers that his opportunities to play would be restricted if he stayed. But having shown signs of developing a rapport with Balotelli, Sturridge is out with a calf injury he picked up two weeks ago

Borini is in line for his first Premier League start since Liverpool’s 3-1 defeat by West Ham United on September 20 with the prospect of retaining his place for the games against Real and Chelsea should he impress. “With Daniel out, it’s a miss, but it’s also an opportunity,” Rodgers said. “We saw the other night, we gave opportunities to those who haven’t featured so much, and they were outstanding. Fabio Borini was excellent, a real threat and put a wonderful cross in for the first goal. “Lucas Leiva hasn’t played much, but came in and was excellent alongside Jordan Henderson. Rickie Lambert hasn’t had many opportunities, but had some nice touches, and young Lazar Markovic played on the left-hand side, we have big confidence in him. Those players will get their chance, and we’re confident they can take that chance.”

Nottingham Forest have signed Tom Ince, the 22-year-old winger, on loan from Hull City for two months. Stuart Pearce, the Forest manager, worked with Ince while in charge of the England Under21 side. “It’s great for him and us,” said Pearce. Ince joined Hull from Blackpool in July, but has had few first-team outings. He is in Forest’s squad for tomorrow’s Sky Bet Championship away match against Huddersfield Town.

Sakho’s fitness in doubt Diafra Sakho, West Ham United’s in-form striker, is “touch and go” to face Stoke City tomorrow, according to Sam Allardyce, the club’s manager. The Senegal forward, who has scored six goals in his past six Barclays Premier League starts, injured a shoulder during West Ham’s 2-1 win over Manchester City last weekend. “We’ll make a decision on Friday to see how his shoulder is,” Allardyce said.

Raúl heads to Cosmos Raúl, the former Real Madrid striker and the Champions League’s all-time leading scorer with 71 goals, has signed for the New York Cosmos. The club, who play in the North American Soccer League below Major League Soccer, said the 37-year-old former Spain striker had signed a long-term contract, starting from the 2015 season, and will also serve as a technical advisor for the club’s academy.

the times | Friday October 31 2014

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Ferdinand suspension over tweet unfair on QPR, says Redknapp GLYN KIRK / GETTY IMAGES

Gary Jacob

Harry Redknapp insists it is unfair that Queens Park Rangers have to suffer after the FA punished Rio Ferdinand with a three-match ban for comments that the defender posted on Twitter. The QPR manager questioned whether Ferdinand’s offence should warrant the same penalty as committing a two-footed lunge on an opponent. Ferdinand will consider whether to appeal against the ban and £25,000 fine after receiving the FA independent regulatory commission report last night. It outlines the reasons for the severity of the punishment, which was influenced because it was his second similar offence — after being fined £45,000 for a comment about Ashley Cole two years ago. He was found guilty of improper conduct when he used the term “sket”, which means a promiscuous girl or woman, in a tweet on September 1. “If someone slags him off and he goes back and slags them off, it doesn’t equate,” Redknapp said. “I don’t see how a personal thing between him and somebody else should hurt the club. But I’m not qualified to comment until I see the report and it is up to people at the club who understand that. I don’t know what goes on on Twitter.” Redknapp claimed that Ferdinand, who has seven days to appeal, behaved impeccably off the pitch, but said it would save a lot of hassle for managers if players did not use Twitter. Ferdinand will begin his suspension for the match away to Chelsea in the Barclays Premier League tomorrow, unless he notifies the commission of his intention to appeal. If he accepts the ban he will miss the matches against Manchester City, a week tomorrow, and Newcastle United, on November 22. The 35-year-old has lost his starting place in recent weeks. “I’ve not had many footballers behave better off the pitch than Rio,” Redknapp said. “He’s been in the dressing room getting behind the team. He’s a top-class guy. He’s got to wait for his chance for play.” Redknapp has held clear-the-air talks this week with Adel Taarabt in which he claimed that the playmaker admitted to being unfit. He said that Taarabt was badly advised to speak out

Making a point: Ferdinand, the QPR and former England defender, was praised by his manager for his attitude off the pitch

in the media last week, during their slanging match over his weight, but they tried to resolve their differences before QPR beat Aston Villa 2-0 on Monday, a result that moved the club off the bottom of the table. “We had a great chat with him and he admitted he needed to get fitter,” Redknapp said. “He wants to get fit and get back in the team. That’s all I needed to hear from him. I felt having spoken to him [that] I didn’t want to stick him in among the kids. He worked very hard that morning with the first-team group. I was pleased with his attitude.

“He has great ability and one of the great crimes in football is if he doesn’t produce what he is capable of doing because he has real talent. If he turns it round and shows his ability then he is a real asset. Adel’s got the ability to be one of the best players in the Premier League.” Taarabt, who was absent from training because of tonsillitis last week, could feature in the upcoming squads because of injuries, although Joey Barton, the midfielder, could return against City, having missed five weeks with a hamstring problem.

Taarabt was likened to Ravel Morrison, whose waywardness could not be tamed by Manchester United and West Ham United and who has mainly been a substitute for Cardiff City, where he is on loan, this season. “Morrison should be playing for England with that ability — one of the most talented players I've seen in the game,” Redknapp said, having had the player on loan at QPR last season. “He’s got to produce it. He should be playing for Barcelona or Real Madrid. That’s how good I thought Ravel Morrison was. It’s a shame. It's a waste.”

FA Cup final set for June date as part of Qatar plan Exclusive Oliver Kay Chief Football Correspondent

The 2022 FA Cup final would take place in early June, after the World Cup finals, under the European Club Association’s (ECA) plan to resolve the stalemate surrounding the tournament in Qatar. Under the proposal that will be made to Fifa’s Qatar 2022 task force in Zurich on Monday, the World Cup would run from April 28 to May 29. Domestic league seasons would have to be brought forward to be concluded by early April, but the ECA, which consists of 214 European clubs, believes that the World Cup could proceed successfully even if players were not released for international duty until just ten days before the tournament’s proposed start. As Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, the ECA chairman, told The Times on Wednesday, the April/May World Cup

proposal has been conceived as a solution to the impasse over the 2022 tournament in the wake of Fifa’s controversial vote to stage the finals in Qatar. Holding the World Cup in its traditional June/July slot has been described as “impossible” by Sepp Blatter, the Fifa president, because summer temperatures in Qatar soar beyond 40C (104F).

How The Times reported the ECA’s 2022 World Cup plan on Wednesday

Almost four years after the vote, the task force hopes to agree upon a final recommendation at its meeting on Monday, with Fifa determined to push through a switch to November. The ECA’s counterproposal is to combat the heat by staging games in the evening, some of them kicking off at 11pm local time, and bring the tournament forward by six weeks, rather than move it back five months and cause a lengthy interruption to European club campaigns. The ECA’s proposal says that the temperature in Qatar in April/May is “significantly lower than in June/July and less extreme than the temperatures experienced in some previous World Cups (Mexico 1986, US 1994, Brazil 2014)”. Of the ECA proposal, Rummenigge said: “It takes into account the climate issue while preserving the traditional running of a club football season. This proposal needs to be seriously

ECA’s 2022 vision 6 European club campaigns to be brought forward by two weeks, with more midweek fixtures scheduled so that the season could be over by early or mid-April 6 March internationals scrapped and Champions League round-of-16 ties to be played over two weeks 6 Matches in Qatar to start at 6pm, 8.30pm and 11pm local time in the group stage and 7pm and 10pm in knockout stage to avoid worst heat

considered by all stakeholders. It is an achievable solution.” 6 Fifa has expressed regret after its video that launched the logo for the 2018 World Cup showed the disputed Crimean peninsula as part of Russia.

Sport

Irvine sends out warning over Berahino Brendan McLoughlin

Alan Irvine, the West Bromwich Albion head coach, fears the burden of expectation on Saido Berahino could become too vast for the fledgeling forward’s shoulders. Berahino is the highest-scoring Englishman in the Barclays Premier League this season with seven goals. The England Under-21 striker’s stellar displays have led him to be tipped for a call-up to Roy Hodgson’s senior squad next month. “So far he is coping well but it does worry me as it is a lot to ask of a young player,” Irvine said of the 21-year-old. “The big thing for him is that in order to maximise his potential he has to keep training and living the same way as he has recently. Then he can hopefully put in the same performances. “That is difficult enough without all of the added attention he has been getting.” Daniel Sturridge’s injury problems have left England depleted in the forward department and Berahino has stated a strong case for his inclusion. Berahino has shrugged off an enfant terrible image that had begun to tarnish his early promise. He was pictured inhaling laughing gas last season and was also involved in a dressing-room incident with James Morrison. Yet Irvine says the club have not had to look to the outside for help in getting him back on the straight and narrow. “With Saido there’s a whole load of people keeping an eye on him,” he continued. “We don’t feel outside support is needed at this time.”

Celtic appeal against racism ban for Tonev Phil Gordon

Celtic have said that they will stand by Aleksandar Tonev and will be appealing after the player was handed a seven-match ban yesterday by the SFA for racially abusing Shay Logan, of Aberdeen. The 24-year-old Bulgaria winger, who is on loan at the Scottish champions from Aston Villa, was handed the punishment after the “excessive misconduct” allegation was established by the SFA judicial panel during a five-hour hearing at Hampden Park. Tonev was found guilty of breaching disciplinary rule 202: Excessive Misconduct by the use of offensive, insulting and abusive language of a racist nature during the match in September at Celtic Park. The suspension means that Tonev may not play for Celtic again, with his loan deal set to expire in January. However, the club responded to the verdict by declaring that they would be appealing against the punishment and underlining that Tonev is “not a racist”. The club said: “Racism has no place in football and as a club for all people, Celtic absolutely abhors racism of any kind. This was a very unfortunate case, but the club has accepted Aleksandar’s explanation that he did not say the words that were alleged to have been said and that he is not a racist. We are, therefore, very disappointed by the outcome today and can confirm that Aleksandar will be appealing this decision.”

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Friday October 31 2014 | the times

Sport Football

Pellegrini must be flexible for City to solve their problems James Ducker looks at where it is all going wrong at the Etihad Stadium before a key period in their season

anuel Pellegrini did not attempt to sugar-coat Manchester City’s predicament in the wake of a 2-0 defeat at home to a severely weakened Newcastle United in the Capital One Cup fourth round. The City manager admitted that the Barclays Premier League champions “must be worried” by a poor run of results that have cranked up the pressure before two critical games, the Manchester derby on Sunday and the Champions League tie against CSKA Moscow three days later. City will trail Chelsea by nine points when they face Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium should José Mourinho’s team beat Queens Park Rangers tomorrow and their prospects of reaching the Champions League knockout stage will be dealt a potentially devastating blow if they do not overcome CSKA. To compound matters, Pellegrini could be without David Silva against United because of a knee injury. Here The Times casts an analytical eye over the problems that have consigned City to two defeats in a week and four losses in their past 12 matches. individual errors Mistakes are inevitable but the frequency with which City’s players are making basic errors is troubling. Moreover, the same blunders keep happening. The way Fernandinho lost possession to Ryan Taylor in the build-up to Newcastle’s first goal on Wednesday was almost a carbon copy of Fernando being intercepted by Ryan Mason en route to Tottenham Hotspur scoring in the previous match. There have been other examples, too: Yaya Touré conceding possession cheaply in the lead up to a CSKA equaliser in their 2-2 Champions League draw; Sergio Agüero losing possession after a poor pass from James Milner deep in City’s own third in the run up to Jack Wilshere scoring in the 2-2 draw against Arsenal; and Milner squandering the ball after a lame pass from Touré before Hull City made it 2-2 a month ago.

city’s left side It has long been their Achilles’ heel but the success with which opponents have sought to exploit the weaknesses down City’s left flank this season has been alarming and a key reason as to why they have only kept three clean sheets. With Silva offering little defensive protection down that side, opponents invariably have run at Gaël Clichy or Aleksandar Kolarov. Neither read the game well defensively and Martin Demichelis lacks the pace to cover while Eliaquim Mangala is enduring a tough transition to English football. Clichy’s form has been particularly

poor. He has been caught ball-watching and daydreaming with the latest example against West Ham United last Saturday, when Enner Valencia zipped past him and crossed for the opening goal. open midfield Touré’s poor form and defensive shortcomings have been well documented — the Ivorian has not provided a single assist in eight league matches while he has been guilty of squandering possession — but it has not helped that Fernandinho and Fernando have been disappointing, too. Fernando is new to the Premier League but his fellow Brazilian has less of an excuse. Neither have been comfortable defending against direct running and City are not moving the ball quickly enough and their movement has looked stifled. pellegrini’s pig-headedness Whether it is stubbornness, shortsightedness or an unwavering belief that quality will eventually win through, Pellegrini has stuck doggedly to the fluid 4-4-2 system that delivered the title last season at a time when the champions look as though they would benefit enormously from some flexibility. No one is suggesting the Chilean should abandon his principles of attacking football, but given that the same shortcomings are now being regularly exposed, some pragmatism may not go amiss. There are games, not least in the Champions League, when City would have benefited enormously from playing a midfield trio in a 4-3-3 but Pellegrini has so far shown little appetite to adapt. Sam Allardyce, the West Ham manager, had some interesting observations last week when he suggested that the reluctance of Pellegrini to adjust made it easier to prepare a game-plan against them. “Their philosophy is more, ‘We always play this way’ and won’t change,” Allardyce said. “That’s why you can beat them.” It might not be Pellegrini’s style but some of City’s players look like they could also do with their cages being rattled. missed chances Agüero has scored 11 goals, but City have been wasteful. At times, luck has deserted them — they have an unfortunate habit of hitting the woodwork — but they are requiring almost six shots for every goal in the league compared to less than five last time around. the chelsea factor There is a strong argument to say that, even in their two title-winning campaigns, City were less than the sum of their gifted parts. With one of the strongest squads in Premier League history, it was strange to see City make such heavy going of it in 2011-12 and last season, when they were dependent on collapses by a modest Manchester United and a Liverpool side who shipped an average of almost 1.32 goals per league match respectively to scrape over the finishing line on the final day of both campaigns. The difference this season is that, in Mourinho’s new look Chelsea, City are up against a formidable, harder-edged outfit.

Testing times: Edin Dzeko, the Manchester City striker, sums up their current mood after Newcastle opened the scoring in

Individual errors must be addressed for Manchester City have managed just three clean sheets in their 14 matches this season, with basic individual errors and lapses of concentration costing them dearly. Here The Times sifts through a litany of blunders that have left Manuel Pellegrini, the City manager, with much to ponder before the Manchester derby.

September 13: Arsenal (drew 2-2 away in the league) Feeble challenges by Fernandinho and Gaël Clichy leave Jack Wilshere free to score. Awful back-pass by David Silva enables Danny Welbeck to get on the wrong side of Martín Demichelis but chip hits post.

August 30: Stoke City (lost 1-0 at home in Barclays Premier League) Aleksandar Kolarov, right, and Fernandinho fail to check Mame Biram Diouf’s 80-yard run and Joe

September 27: Hull City (won 4-2 away in the league) Liam Rosenior beats Clichy with ease before Eliaquim Mangala heads into his own net. James

Hart then allows the striker’s shot between his legs.

the times | Friday October 31 2014

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Football Sport PETER BYRNE / PA

Are you watching, Mr Van Gaal? City's soft centre exposed goals on Wednesday and Stoke City’s strike in the 1-0 Barclays Premier League win at the Etihad Stadium, all came in this manner. Fernandinho, the City midfielder, was among those culpable in each case

As the Manchester derby looms, the champions’ poor form is giving hope to their close rivals. Manchester City are proving susceptible to direct running through the centre of their defence. Newcastle United’s two v Newcastle United Scorer Rolando Aarons

R Taylor Fernandinho

Aarons

Kolarov Aarons

Mangala

Armstrong

Caballero Demichelis Run without ball Run with ball Pass Shot

Ameobi Sissoko

v Newcastle Scorer Moussa Sissoko

Sagna

Caballero

Mangala Sissoko

Fernandinho

v Stoke City Scorer Miame Biram Diouf

Hart

Fernandinho

Kolarov

Diouf

Words by Bill Edgar

their shock 2-0 win on Wednesday

the champions to challenge once again Milner concedes possession after a dismal pass from Yaya Touré and Mangala’s clumsy challenge on Abel Hernández enables him to score from the penalty spot.

Fernando loses possession and Ryan Mason slides in to intercept. Roberto Soldado then rolls ball to Christian Eriksen to score.

September 30: Roma (drew 1-1 at home in the Champions League) Vincent Kompany dragged into no man’s land attempting to intercept pass, which leaves Francesco Totti to run in between Pablo Zabaleta and Demichelis and score.

October 21: CSKA Moscow (drew 2-2 away in the Champions League) Mangala fails to track Ahmed Musa and he crosses for Seydou Doumbia to score. Touré then loses possession in build up to CSKA winning a controversial penalty that Bebras Natcho converts.

October 18: Tottenham Hotspur (won 4-1 at home in the league)

October 25: West Ham United (lost 2-1 away in the league)

Samuel Eto’o’s renaissance at Everton is set to earn him a one-year contract extension and the new deal could even be triggered in the next month if he continues to play a prominent role in Roberto Martínez’s team (Tony Barrett writes). Martínez’s decision to sign Eto’o on a free transfer during the summer has been rewarded with four goals in nine appearances, including two in a 3-1 win over Burnley in the Barclays Premier League last Sunday, but the Everton manager insists that his influence goes beyond his impact on the pitch. Eto’o, right, needs to feature in six more games to trigger a contract extension and Martínez maintains it was always his intention for the forward to spend at least two years at Everton, regardless that he is aged 32. “I think it’s just natural he’ll get another year. The option for a second year is based on the number of games played so it will come automatically,” Martínez said. “All I want is for him to enjoy his football, keep challenging himself, and convey the winning mentality he has shown to the rest of the team. But I always thought his period at Everton would be a minimum of two years, because the option

reflects that. He could trigger the clause very soon, the way he’s playing. But the clause is not in my mind, or his mind, he’s happy playing for Everton, enjoying his day-to-day work, and that’s it really. “Remember he had a lot of attention on Sunday, but I’ve been very pleased with everything he’s done. We went to Krasnodar, very naive in terms of Europe as a team, and his mentality was very good for us to stay in the game and he also scored an equaliser at the end.” While other clubs, most notably Liverpool, considered signing Eto’o after his contract with Chelsea expired only to have second thoughts, Everton had none, particularly after the Cameroon forward met Martínez and convinced him that his hunger to add to his remarkable total of 15 winner’s medals at club level is as strong as ever. “He wanted to be a winner,” Martínez said. winner, “That hunger shows. It “T doesn’t matter if it’s Lille do away, or Burnley away, he wants to perform, to win, and wa to help the team.” 6 Proceeds from the Premier League’s new television deal helped Everton to lower their net debt from £45.3 million in 2013 to £28.1 million in 2014. The club’s turnover rose from £86.4 million to £120.5 million.

Spurs can make capital from cup

Rivière

Fernandinho

Eto’o set to extend his Everton stay

Clichy is caught day-dreaming as Enner Valencia races in and crosses for Morgan Amalfitano to score. October 29: Newcastle United (lost 2-0 at home in Capital One Cup fourth round) Fernandinho loses possession to Ryan Taylor and Rolando Aarons races away from Mangala to finish. After poor defending from Demichelis, Moussa Sissoko skips past challenges of Fernandinho and Bacary Sagna before finishing. Words by James Ducker

Jan Vertonghen insists that lifting the Capital One Cup would mean more than just a trophy for Tottenham Hotspur, who have been drawn at home to Newcastle United in the quarter-finals in December (Gary Jacob writes). The Belgium defender said that his experience at Ajax showed the knock-on effect that can be generated by winning silverware. The Dutch club went seven years from 2004 without a winning the Eredivisie title. Vertonghen joined the club in 2006 and helped them to win the Dutch cup in 2010 and the title in each of the next two seasons. “At Ajax the problem was after years you lose a bit of the belief of winning trophies,” Vertonghen said. “We won the cup and a couple of leagues in a row and then you start believing in yourself, that you are able to do it. “Winning the Capital One Cup would give a bit of belief that we can

do big things with the team and it would certainly help us. We have got a lot of good players and sometimes you just need a click. Hopefully we can find it now in the Capital One Cup.” Vertonghen said that Tottenham would benefit from a third consecutive home tie after beating Nottingham Forest and Brighton & Hove Albion in the past two rounds. Harry Kane and Érik Lamela scored to overcome Brighton on Wednesday. Three days earlier the team were booed off after the 2-1 defeat by Newcastle in the Barclays Premier League, when they conceded seven seconds after the restart. “The crowd have the right to expect things from us as players,” he said. “We want to do well and they expect us to do well — they have expectations like we do and of course they have to express it and I understand that they are not happy with a defeat at home.”

Monk backs Swansea board

Khan will support Symons

Garry Monk believes Swansea City fans must trust the board after it was revealed that the club is in talks with an American millionaire about a significant investment. John Jay Moores, a Texan, previously owned the San Diego Padres baseball franchise in California but sold the team for $800 million (about £500 million) in 2012. Swansea City Supporters Trust, which owns 21 per cent of the club, is wary of change, but Monk said: “Huw [Jenkins, the chairman] and the board have always made the decisions with the best interests of the club in mind. As long as those guys are here, they will do exactly the same.” 6 Federico Fernández, the Swansea defender, has had his red card against Liverpool in the Capital One Cup rescinded. The Argentine was sent off for a tackle on Philippe Coutinho.

Shahid Khan, the Fulham owner, says he is prepared to hand Kit Symons transfer funds in January in the hope that the club gain promotion back into the Barclays Premier League at the first attempt. Symons, who had been in caretaker charge, was announced as Fulham’s new manager on Wednesday after Khan’s five-man committee ended a month-long search for Felix Magath’s successor. Symons has gained 13 points from seven Sky Bet Championship matches and lifted the mood around Craven Cottage as well as his team out of the relegation zone. “We’ve spent a lot of money so we want to invest but go about it the smart way and that’s right in line with what Kit’s thinking,” Khan, who also owns the Jacksonville Jaguars, the NFL franchise, said.

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Sport Rugby union

Cooper and Genia ready to stake claim Alex Lowe

Quade Cooper and Will Genia will be reunited in the Australia team for the first time in a year tomorrow after being named in the Wallabies’ line-up to play the Barbarians at Twickenham in the opening game of their five-match tour. The Queensland Reds pair have both had injury problems this year and neither half back has featured for the Wallabies since last year’s tour. Michael Cheika, Australia’s new head coach, has given them a chance to stake their claim to start against Wales at the Millennium Stadium next weekend. “This team contains a mix of players from our last game and also experienced players eager to push their way into the team,” Cheika said. Cheika has rested Michael Hooper and handed the captaincy for this game to Matt Hodgson, the flanker. Henry Speight, the Fijian-born wing, is set to make his first appearance for Australia Genia, of Australia, returns for the Barbarians match

after satisfying residency requirements following a four-year wait. Sonny Bill Williams will start for New Zealand against the United States in Chicago tomorrow after returning to union from league. Dan Carter has been named on the bench as he returns from a broken leg. Dan Lydiate will return to Welsh regional rugby at the end of November after Racing Métro agreed to release him from his contract. The flanker has made two starts for the Top 14 club this season. It will be confirmed over the next month which of the four regions Lydiate will join, but he is expected to follow the lead of Sam Warburton, the Wales captain, in signing a dual contract with the Welsh Rugby Union. Australia (to play Barbarians at Twickenham tomorrow): I Folau; H Speight, T Kuridrani, M Toomua, R Horne; Q Cooper, W Genia; B Robinson, S Fainga’a, B Alexander, S Carter, J Horwill, S Higginbotham, M Hodgson (captain), B McCalman. Replacements: J Hanson, J Slipper, S Kepu, W Skelton, S McMahon, N White, B Foley, C Leali’ifano, J Tomane.

Friday October 31 2014 | the times

Cheika’s tough outlook can change culture of Australians Stuart Barnes believes that the Wallabies’ new head coach is well equipped to make his bow against Barbarians

e’s the disciplinarian with the capacity to lose his own discipline. I first encountered Michael Cheika, the new Australia head coach, in the late 1980s. Bath were on a pre-season tour to Australia. We were due to play Randwick, Australia’s outstanding club team at the time. This was the club of the legendary Ella family. We prepared ourselves for the wizardry of these Wallaby brothers only to find ourselves in one almighty 80-minute fight. That is how it was then. Sometimes you got ambushed. I forgot about the bloody battle until 2013 on the Lions tour to Australia. Sitting next to me as another guest in the Fox Sports studio was none other than the Waratahs coach, Michael Cheika. The Lions were to play his team in three days’ time. The conversation soon found its way to the

Long road to the summit Born March 4 1967, Sydney Position (as player): No 8 Teams (as player): Australia Under-21, Randwick, Waratahs, Castres, Stade Français, Livorno Teams (as coach): Padova, Randwick, Leinster, Stade Français, New South Wales Waratahs, Australia Honours (as coach): Celtic League 2008 (Leinster), European Cup 2009 (Leinster), Super Rugby 2014 (Waratahs)

infamous 2001 match between the Waratahs and the Lions in which Ronan O’Gara took a terrible pounding at the hands of Duncan McRae, the opposing fly half. Instead of moralising, Cheika laughed at the memory of the previous time the two of us had been in such close quarters in Sydney. “Remember that bit of biff, Barnsey?” he laughed. Big grin, savage grin, good times gone and not necessarily for the better hinted the Cheika laugh. The good-natured recollection of a fair old fight was a throwback to the days of Australian “mateship”. The country was full of blokes in big boots and long shorts when I toured there in the 1980s. Hard-up country boys like Tim Gavin, the No 8, were the norm. Now the sport has evolved into something more cosmopolitan, or at least the

Gold standard: Cooper is back in the Australia fold after a long spell out of the

big cities where it is played would like it to. It’s very much a middleclass sport in a country that feels more like California than the new version of the Old Country it was three decades back. Somewhere along the way Australian sport has become dislocated. The toughness, the uncompromising old Aussie ways made them such an incorrigible opponent. Much of the criticism of the sporting Aussie now was once regarded as how it was. The great Australian cricket teams of the 1970s, even teams as recent as Ricky Ponting’s, appear as if from another era when you experience the sheer 21st century cosmopolitanism of

Sydney. The brash boozing was once an essential part of sport’s camaraderie. Now alcohol intimates a team in crisis. The cultural changes that challenge oldfashioned displays of wrong-headed phobias and sexism are for the good of the nation but some Australian sportsmen are adrift. Cheika can address this issue. He mixes it with the players on the training field, has a reputation as a straight talker in meeting rooms, but has his own code of behaviour that calls it straight without moralising. He demands the respect of the players and will give it back in return. If anyone can deflect Australian rugby union headlines

the times | Friday October 31 2014

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Rugby union Sport

STU FORSTER / GETTY IMAGES

Legacy the plan post-World Cup John Westerby

team. Cheika, below, will look forward to using him as a new era begins against the Barbarians at Twickenham tomorrow

from the front to back pages, he is that man. His reputation as a winner is outstanding. The only coach to have won Super Rugby and the Heineken Cup, the former No 8 turned Leinster and the Waratahs from talented teams with a capacity to crack under pressure into winners. Stade Français, who he joined after Leinster, would have won the Challenge Cup had George Clancy, the referee, not created a new law where teams must “use the ball” in an advancing scrum with the last play of the game against Harlequins. The Australian raged righteously. A Sky Sports cameraman closed in on Cheika’s anger. The cameraman

was fortunate to escape without ruined equipment. A few of my colleagues criticised Cheika’s behaviour, I was with the Australian. He is Old Testament not new age. Get on the wrong side of him and he’ll blast you, but he’ll defend a man who has earned his respect. That has been his position with Kurtley Beale since accepting the post as the Australia head coach. Beale has been judged, a decision reached. The centre will return sooner rather than later now that rugby justice has had its say. Tomorrow Cheika, the winner, makes his bow against the Barbarians with a team who should attract a decent crowd. It has been a

long time since Quade Cooper and Will Genia have shared centre stage. The back line is potentially brilliant. Outside Cooper, Matt Toomua is a No 10/centre with a game that has fearsome tackling, fine distribution and kicking variation. In the wide channels, Cheika is unleashing heavy-duty power. Tevita Kuridrani was outstanding against the All Blacks recently while Henry Speight has been creating carnage in Super Rugby for years. Behind them is Israel Folau, a player worth the attendance fee on his own. Australia have a ton of talent and a coach who can unite them. Thank God they don’t have a front row.

A year from today, in those first few hours after the host nation have beaten New Zealand in the World Cup final at Twickenham, the real work will begin for English rugby. From the RFU’s perspective, the Webb Ellis Cup would be an attractive enough trinket to brighten the corridors of power. It would quickly lose its lustre, though, if the gains made during the 2015 World Cup do not translate into substantive growth for the game around the country, which means more people playing, coaching, refereeing, making the post-match sausage sandwiches and sweeping out the mudspattered changing rooms. We are talking legacy, the trickiest part of the deal for any host of a global event. “It might seem a strange thing to say, but this is a more important matter than whether or not the England team win the World Cup,” Ian Ritchie, the RFU chief executive, said. There has been a general admission that, when England won the World Cup in 2003, the RFU was not prepared to make the most of the opportunity. Thousands of new players, young and old, were practising their constipated goalkicking crouches, a la Jonny Wilkinson, but there were not the facilities, the community coaches, the capacity, to absorb the sudden extra interest. It is a mistake the RFU is keen not to repeat, with investment of £10 million over four years in local club facilities, plus substantial further spending on training coaches and referees, touch rugby, introducing the game to more state schools and bringing back lapsed players in the 16-24 age group. “Rugby is a sport that you do need 30-odd people to play,” Ritchie said yesterday. “You need a referee, you need a pitch. So we’ve got to put the infrastructure in place for people to do that.” By 2017, the target is to increase regular participation from 187,000 to 215,000 for men over 16 and for the number of women and girls playing contact rugby to rise from 18,000 to 25,000. The ideal would be to put English rugby into what Ritchie describes as a virtuous circle. “If you grow participation, you’ve got

more players coming through the pipeline,” Ritchie said. “If you’re then more successful on the pitch, you get more money, put crudely, to invest back into the game and your programmes. If you keep going that way, you’re in a very good place.” There are no guarantees, of course, that the dream scenario of England beating the All Blacks a year today will come to pass. What of the legacy if England fail to escape from a hazardous pool that includes Australia and Wales? For all the worthy investment, is the single most important factor to the tournament’s legacy not simply the performance of Stuart Lancaster’s team? “I don’t think it is,” Ritchie said. “I’m not going to be daft enough to say that it doesn’t make a difference, but it’s about the game as a whole. You’d hope Ritchie is hoping to promote the game, not just England

the event will still promote the game as well as the England team.” The targets enshrined in the RFU’s strategic plan require England to rise to first or second place in the IRB rankings before the World Cup. They have risen above Australia into third place but there is also a recognition that the rugby played must help to sell the game, which does not necessarily mean expansive rugby, but a style that engages spectators. “You want to put something on that’s entertaining,” Ritchie said. “Looking at the style and demeanour of the team, I think Stuart has created a culture where people want them to win. Chris Robshaw is a perfect example of leading by example.” Whatever the performance next year, the RFU will be judged on the legacy once the tournament is over. “There will be no excuses,” Ritchie said. “We’ve got a plan, we have the investment, in 2016 and 2017 we should be able to look back and say ‘what did we do to get more people playing rugby?’”

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Friday October 31 2014 | the times

Sport Rugby union

New chapter for Burgess as questions keep coming Injuries will keep fans guessing about the latest arrivall at The Rec, writes Owen Slot

his was all rather un-rugby: a grand arrival from Australia, a photo-call, some five hours of media, the questions about his friend Russell Crowe. Maybe it is in part because there is something a little Hollywood about Sam Burgess that he has been so eagerly perceived as the final piece in the jigsaw for England’s World Cup campaign. But while the cameras clicked as he posed patiently on the turf at The Recreation Ground in Bath yesterday, they recorded the evidence that he might well not be what England were looking for at all. Until Burgess actually plays, the debate over where he should play will rage on. He has not appeared in a single game of union yet and, as he is still recovering from the fractured cheekbone and eye socket he suffered in the NRL Grand Final in Sydney two weeks ago, it may still be some time before that changes. Yet it is no secret that when he is up and running, England rather fancy him as a ball-carrying No 12. However, yesterday, for the photos, he was wearing a shirt for a Bath backrower. Mike Ford, the Bath head coach, then said that it was his “gut instinct” that Burgess would play in the back row. He also talked intently about how Burgess would be educated in his new world of rugby union in the company of other

Bath back-rowers. And Francois Louw, a flanker, has been earmarked to mentor him into a XV-a-side way of life. These are still very early days and there remains a big element of waitand-see. Yet if Ford and Stuart Lancaster, the England head coach, do come at Burgess’s development with significantly differing ideas, then whatever fast track he is put on, it may not lead to that 2015 World Cup. Ford said yesterday: “I’m pretty adamant that one thing I don’t do is change Sam. He’s got a skillset we want to use to get the best out of him.” That skillset is ball-carrying; Ford wants as many carries out of him as possible and that is what he would get from the back row rather than the midfield. “Maybe,” Ford said, “I am a coach who sees things differently to, say, Stuart Lancaster. I can afford to experiment a bit and see what the best position is.” The extent to which Burgess has discussed some matters with Lancaster, he said, was limited. He said that Lancaster had phoned “as a friend” on a small number of occasions throughout the past year. Ford and Lancaster, meanwhile, have also debated the Burgess situation between themselves. “He is keen for Sam to do well,” Ford said. He added that if Burgess played well in a successful Bath team, “then I am sure Stuart will pick him in the wider World Cup squad. He’d be stupid not to”. For his part, Burgess insisted yesterday that he had made the decision to switch codes “without the World Cup in mind initially.” But he did not just leave it at that. “I don’t lack belief,” he said. “A lot of athletes believe in themselves, set themselves goals. I don’t think I’m lacking in that.” As a welcome to England, it is only appropriate that Burgess should be pitched straight into this intense con-

In a league of his own reached the semi-finals, Burgess decided to switch codes.

2006 Made his Super League debut for Bradford Bulls against Leeds Rhinos.

October 5: Won NRL title with South Sydney and became the first Englishman to receive the Clive Churchill Medal for being man of the match in the final. Played 79 minutes with a broken cheekbone and fractured eye socket.

2009 Signed for the South Sydney Rabbitohs and made his debut in March 2010, against the Sydney Roosters. 2013 Played in the rugby league World Cup. During the tournament, in which England

versation. We have been debating his World Cup potential for months now; why change the subject now that he is in the room? It was not too uncomfortable, though. Burgess touched down at Heathrow on Wednesday morning and by Wednesday night he was out eating with two new team-mates, Kyle Eastmond and George Ford, both of whose roots were also in league. “Neither of them shouted me dinner,” he said. “I’m a bit disappointed about that!” Burgess played with Eastmond in

2014 February 17: Burgess’s move to Bath was confirmed.

October 22: Became the first Englishman to be the international rugby league player of the year. Words by Alex Lowe

camps in their junior league days. He remembers Ford from when he was a 15-year-old and he tried to persuade him to join him at Bradford. As Burgess said: “Bath have got a good history of league players coming here and converting.” So now the education process begins. At the Bath training centre, in the corner of the gym, they have an area they call the “padded cell” – padded on the walls and the floor. Burgess will spend time in there with a number of other back-rowers and, explained Ford,

“hopefully the guys can take Sam to one side and say this is how you present the ball, this is how we clear.” Burgess said that he thought the breakdown would be where his learning will be hardest. He has been sent game clips by Ford but made it clear that until the NRL Grand Final his focus had been almost entirely on the South Sydney Rabbitohs and his old game. The new game starts here. The question is: when? No one, yesterday, was prepared to give anything resembling a guesstimate on that front.

Size matters — how Burgess’s rivals measure up

6’5”

Honours 2 Great Britain caps; 17 England caps; NRL Premiership title (2014); Clive Churchill Medal winner (2014); International rugby league player of the year (2014).

2007 Made a try-scoring debut for Great Britain against New Zealand in Huddersfield, aged 18.

Part of the union: Burgess appears in his new colours as Bath’s latest signing from the rival rugby code, but his role, for

6’ 5’5” 5’

Sam Burgess 6ft 5in 18st 4lb

Billy Twelvetrees 6ft 3in 16st 3lb Centre James Haskell 6ft 4in 17st 13lb Flanker

Luther Burrell 6ft 3in 17st 5lb Centre

Chris Robshaw 6ft 2in 17st 2lb Flanker

the times | Friday October 31 2014

FGM

Rugby union Sport

DAVID ROGERS / GETTY IMAGES

Freak of nature who offers Bath best of both worlds Christopher Irvine

club and, possibly, country will only become clear when he is free of injuries

His return to play, Ford said, could be two weeks, could be two months. However long it takes, all eyes will be on him, up to his debut and beyond. One aspect of union life that he is certainly not new to is the pressure of expectation. It is worth remembering that he did not need all this. Following that Grand Final and after the surgery on his face, Burgess went and stayed with Crowe, the owner of the Rabbitohs, on his farm for a few days. “We had a couple of beers together,” he said. “We had a good time,

that’s about it. He’s still a very good friend.” From that to the padded cell. From the top of one world to back to school with another. It seems a kind of madness to exchange one so willingly for the other, but when Burgess talks about “challenges”, that is exactly what he means. He has another challenge: to get Crowe down to The Rec for a game. But before that, there are a few priorities. First he has to get to play; then he has to work out where. 6’5” 6’ 5’5” 5’

Manu Tuilagi 6ft 17st 4lb Centre

Billy Vunipola 6ft 2in 19st 8lb No 8

Kyle Eastmond 5ft 7in 12st 8lb Centre

Great rugby league players turned great rugby union players are thin on the ground. For every Jason Robinson and Israel Folau, there are ten more misses. Henry Paul, Andy Farrell, Lesley Vainikolo, Shontayne Hape, Joel Tomkins — the list goes on. Young converts have at least earned their spurs in the likes of Chris Ashton, Kyle Eastmond and Stephen Myler, partly because they were not superstars in league to begin with. Owen Farrell spent his early years in league — he remains a Wigan Warriors fan — but is very much a creature of the 15-man code. Sam Burgess is a different beast entirely, a legend in league at 25, and a forward. If it is hard enough for backs to convert, the attrition rate for league forwards is worse still. Rather than the obvious No 8 switch, one solution for Burgess, like Andy Farrell before him, is to play him in the centres and become England’s answer to Sonny Bill Williams, New Zealand’s cross-code hopper. That is the theory anyway. The crumpled cheekbone and eye-socket sustained in a heroic league farewell winning the NRL Grand Final with South Sydney Rabbitohs this month sealed his legendary status and only further whetted union’s appetite for the arrival of “Slammin’ Sam”, albeit that the Bath public must wait until December for his debut. Cramming his union education has already begun on the speediest of fast tracks to the World Cup that starts next September. For their money, Bath have an 18-stone freak of nature. He can knock bodies flying and caress a pass in the same blink of an eye. Burgess does not so much tackle as annihilate. Ask Fuifui Moimoi, New Zealand’s man-mountain prop, who Burgess sent spinning in an early Great Britain appearance at 18. As

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anything other than his original code. Positioning, reading of the game, reacclimatising to England after four years in league’s Sydney hothouse, nothing is familiar now other than the desire to prove himself all over again. All the familiar portents are there for him to fail — overblown expectation and the rush to get him ready for England in a bizarrely short time — but the mental, as well as physical strength, of the player who, at 17, lost his father to motor neuron disease and has overcome every obstacle so far is beyond reproach. If anyone can do it, the “sparkly-eyed man” — Russell Crowe’s description of the player that the Hollywood actor and Rabbitohs co-owner persuaded to move halfway across the world from Bradford Bulls — can. The image of him pounding the ground in tears, his joy, agony and realisation of a dream in Australian league’s showpiece, is burnt into the conscience of the public down under and beyond. They did not want him to leave and

The Burgess network Brothers Luke, George and Tom, made Australian rugby league history when they played in the same game for the Rabbitohs last year. They are extremely close and believe that their bond has played a significant role in their success

Russell Crowe The Rabbitohs co-owner was filming Robin Hood when he invited Burgess and his mother to join him on set. By the end of the meeting Burgess had agreed to join the Rabbitohs and Crowe has been a father figure. He gave Burgess a membership card in his father’s name and he keeps an empty seat next to him in the directors’ box

Father A former rugby league player, Mark was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2005 and he died in 2007, when Burgess was 18. Burgess became his carer and would carry his father up the stairs to bed every night. “I had to grow up quick. We’ve always wanted to make a legacy for our dad,” he said Girlfriend Phoebe Hooke is an entertainment reporter for Cleo magazine in Australia and reportedly plans to join Burgess once he has settled into life in Bath

thetimes.co.uk/sport

well as a big-hit specialist, he similarly wreaks havoc with ball in hand. Bath and, sooner rather than later, England’s dilemma is how best to utilise his extreme force and silken skills. Do you leave one of the world’s finest rugby talents to play in isolation, or build a midfield strike force around him? What is the good of having a human wrecking ball and supreme offloader, without the players to work off him? Striking that delicate balance is part of the problem, although club and country do have the benefit of Eastmond having played alongside him — Eastmond at scrum half and Burgess in the back row — in reaching the league Four Nations final with England in 2009. Bath have a Rolls-Royce and Ferrari rolled into one in Burgess, who remains garaged but can at least start getting to grips with the sport’s mechanics. The nature of union is that he will receive less of the ball. From Dewsbury Moor amateurs as a kid, he has never known

there is some suggestion he could be back in 2017, criss-crossing the codes à la Williams. The sadness of seeing him watching England beat Samoa in their opening Four Nations game last Saturday was obvious. It has been a huge wrench for him to leave. It will not just be the jet lag that gets up him up early on Sunday for England’s next game against Australia in Melbourne, featuring his fearsome younger twin brothers, George and Tom. Reports in Australia have linked George to Gloucester, although Sam was quick to quash those rumours on his sibling’s behalf. Without the pair of them, elder brother Luke and Julie Burgess as matriarch, Sam finds himself in the position he was when he first landed alone in Sydney. The Australia media love a Pom to bash but found one to exalt: a ferocious, selfless warrior and a bloody good bloke off the pitch, too. Play him right, cross your fingers and Sam Burgess, World Cup winner, may not be some fantasy.

Mother Julie has captured the hearts of the Sydney public and has been described as the first lady of Australian rugby league. When Tom became the last brother to join the Rabbitohs in 2012, Julie moved to Sydney as well. She used to play rugby league and works as a teacher

Sport

Friday October 31 2014 | the times

Tough love puts Australia right

Union man is league apart

Wallabies will thrive under new coach Michael Cheika

Sam Burgess brings touch of Hollywood to first day at Bath

Stuart Barnes, pages 60-61

Owen Slot, pages 62-63

thetimes.co.uk/sport

british press awards — sports team of the year

Hart backs Pellegrini to rescue City James Ducker Northern Football Correspondent

Joe Hart has launched a staunch defence of Manuel Pellegrini and backed the Manchester City manager to arrest the champions’ worrying slump. The City goalkeeper insisted that their title success last season proved Pellegrini’s methods do work and that it was down to underperforming players to raise their game before a critical run of fixtures. Chelsea have the opportunity to move nine points clear of City in the Barclays Premier League by beating Queens Park Rangers at Stamford Bridge tomorrow, which would place huge pressure on City to overcome Manchester United in the derby the next day. City then face CSKA Moscow in a must-win Champions League tie at the Etihad Stadium three days later. Pellegrini has come in for criticism for sticking to the same tactics and system, despite a series of mistakes that have consigned City to four defeats and four draws in their past 12 matches, including a 2-0 defeat by Newcastle United in the Capital One Cup fourth round on Wednesday. Hart, though, is adamant that Pellegrini retains the faith of the dressing room and is confident the

non-confrontational Chilean will lead the team out of their present troubles. “He [Pellegrini] knows his methods and his ways and we’ve proved in the past playing his way works so we just need to play it better and we will be fine,” the England goalkeeper said. “He’s not an actor. We know what kind of guy he is and what he expects from us. Someone doesn’t have to smash the room up to show you they’re disappointed. He’s got his standards that we try to live up to and if we don’t we’re just as disappointed as he is. “We know we can do a lot better. Obviously the Capital One Cup was a trophy we were really looking to defend and again we were not up to the standard we wanted to be.” Pellegrini admitted he has problems all over the pitch and that the players are wrestling with a crisis of confidence, but Stevan Jovetic, the forward, is confident City will show their true colours against United. “I am sure this [Newcastle] is going to be the last game we play like this,” he said. “I am sure we are going to show our real face against United.” Pellegrini must wait to find out if David Silva will be fit to face United after the playmaker had tests on his left knee yesterday after being substituted nine minutes into the Newcastle game.

Anatomy of a City crisis, pages 58-59

Times Crossword 25,932 1

FRANCK FIFE / GETTY IMAGES

Full stretch: Andy Murray reaches for a return en route to victory over Grigor Dimitrov in Paris yesterday. Report, page 55

across

down

1 Comfortable standard with basics, unless travelling second (8,5) 8 Bird cut short impressive display (4) 9 Jumper initially flirting with awful danger here? (4,6) 10 Winged cloud is tending to cause panic (8) 11 Rubbish to recycle, getting round fine (6) 13 Lie about Conservative right’s review (10) 16 Reduced current leads to river running smoother (4) 17 New Zealand tree featuring in Maori mutiny (4) 18 Real choosy about a number of terms (6,4) 20 Regularly engage vessel that often carries shells (6) 22 Callas perhaps cautious, at first, before greeting Mexican music (8) 24 Put forward policy with new material intended for board (5,5) 26 Make contact, forgetting time that was painful (4) 27 Sportsperson’s hint about Borsetshire village bachelor (9,4)

1 Grow more excited over popular and good puzzling (11) 2 Less short of ordered reason (5) 3 US agent is above suspicion as a plant (9) 4 Raced around too much, like a cheetah (7) 5 Soldier trapped in vehicle overturning, producing smoke (5) 6 First class whisky short, a spirit delicate, insubstantial (4-5) 7 Display old unfinished novel (3) 12 Pore over tea with kitchen head, mostly finding result of E. coli outbreak (7,4) 14 Pilot Officer rising over strange cumulus makes for a little work (9) 15 Film of old relative taken on board roller coaster, say (3,6) 19 Dress in carrier is one from our own line (7) 21 Power from the sun hasn’t succeeded in very cold regions (5) 23 Island requiring a charge for crossing bridge? (5) 25 Involved in war crimes, be rapidly discharged (3)

Yesterday’s solution 25,931 S N A I R MO B P I

A C H N A R S T T L O P S T O P R E GOU R L L I G O O U P RO

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A D OW D V A T E R P L A N O T V I EW E R A D E T E Y I C E T I R E D A E P A R T

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