thetelegraph--2020-01-23--What’s on TV tonight: Inside the Crown, Travels in Euroland with Ed Balls, October Faction and more

Inside the Crown : Secrets of the Royals These are boom times for experts on the House of Windsor .
Whether it ’ s the cult of The Crown , the ongoing turmoil among the Queen ’ s children and grandchildren or the hamster wheel of documentaries , there is no shortage of material or employment for the likes of Penny Junor , Dickie Arbiter or Robert Hardman .
All appear in this four-parter to pore over the last century of the British monarchy .
The opener ’ s theme is “ love and duty ” , unarguably timely in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Sussex making their very public choice between the two .
Viewers hoping for genuinely fresh insights will be disappointed , although our preview will be subject to late tweaks and alterations in the light of recent developments .
So we get well-rehearsed run-throughs of the wildly different marriages of Edward and Wallis Simpson ( controversial but genuine ) , the Prince of Wales and Diana ( flawed from the outset ) and the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh ( steadfast through the storms ) .
Even a cursory knowledge of the Windsors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ see here ; there ’ s some nice archive footage , and the rest is effectively well-informed , entertaining supposition .
GT

Wednesday 16 August
Colosseum
BBC Four, 9pm & 9.50pm
All roads lead to Rome as BBC Four celebrates a series devoted to one of the most famous architectural remnants of the ancient world. If eight episodes (boxsetted on iPlayer and previously shown on Sky History) seems too much to devote to a single building, even one as spectacular as the largest amphitheatre of its age, it’s really not. As one contributor says, the Colosseum “is the Roman Empire distilled to its essence… a symbol of conquest, dominance and imperial power”. As such, it enables the producers to dig deep into Roman culture’s wider obsession with violence, and to straddle the whole of the Roman empire at its height, exploring politics, society and power at the time of Vespasian, Domitian and Trajan.
Tonight’s double bill looks first at Roman society’s obsession with gladiators (via an enduringly famous contest between fan favourite Verus and the barbarian Priscus), before tracking back to the building’s construction through the eyes of its master Haterius. For context there’s a repeat of Meet the Romans with Mary Beard, 8pm, beforehand; plus a rerun of the enduringly wonderful I, Claudius, from 10.50pm, preceded by Sir Derek Jacobi Remembers… at 10.35pm. GO
At Home with the Furys
Netflix
Another celebrity-family reality series, this one is focused on Morecambe-based boxer Tyson Fury. With the former heavyweight champion struggling with retirement, his wife Paris, their six children and his Love Island-stars brother and sister-in-law, Tommy and Molly-Mae, are among those drawn into the chaos.
The Chosen One
Netflix
Adapted from Mark Millar’s comic American Jesus, a series blending superhero and Second Coming tropes. In Baja, California, 12-year-old Jodie (Bobby Luhnow) finds that he has Jesus-like powers after surviving a freak accident. He can turn water into wine and make the disabled walk – but can he help mankind defeat the antichrist?
Celebrity MasterChef
BBC One, 9pm
In the penultimate heats week, John Torode and Gregg Wallace welcome five more celebrities to the MasterChef kitchen. Putting their taste buds to the test are singers Jamelia and Sam Fox, drag artist Cheryl Hole, American rapper Locksmith and opera singer Wynne Evans.
Kate Garraway’s Life Stories
ITV1, 9pm
Concluding another short but headline-dominating run, Garraway interviews Iranian-British actor, comedian and writer Omid Djalili. During an enlightening chat she hears how his career flourished – from the Edinburgh Fringe and Hollywood films to the theatres of the West End – despite an unpromising start in life that saw him take his A-levels six times and get turned down by 16 drama schools.
The 1970s Supermarket
Channel 5, 9pm
A surprisingly engaging three-parter exploring how a revolution in how people shopped, cooked and ate transformed the British way of life in the Seventies. The entertainment factor gets ramped up through a recreation of trolley-must-haves from the past (Fray Bentos pies, Findus crispy pancakes), ready to be enjoyed (or not) by modern consumers.
Annika
Alibi, 9pm
A trip to Edinburgh beckons for DI Annika Strandhed (Nicola Walker) and her Glasgow-based Marine Homicide Unit when a recently released prisoner is found dead in a cage in the Firth of Forth. A link to Sir Walter Scott’s Waverley holds the key to the investigation but only after Annika shares with Michael (Jamie Sives) something she’s been hiding for years.
The Godfather (1972) ★★★★★
Film4, 9pm
Endlessly quoted and copied, the first instalment of Francis Ford Coppola’s epic mob trilogy is an all-time high watermark of American cinema. Marlon Brando and Al Pacino play American-Italian mafia boss Don Vito and his son and reluctant heir, Michael Corleone, caught up in the struggle for power. The Godfather: Part II follows on Thursday at 9pm, with Part III on Friday at the same time.
Central Intelligence (2016) ★★★
ITV4, 10pm
This meat-and-potatoes buddy comedy about two estranged schoolmates who’ve ended up in jobs against their youthful type drifts into formulaic chaos. Nevertheless, there’s no denying how well the leads take to their task: Dwayne Johnson’s secret agent is ripely self-parodic, while Kevin Hart (as an accountant) makes for a surprisingly good straight man. Amy Ryan and Jason Bateman co-star.
King of New York (1990) ★★★★
Sky Cinema Greats, 10.20pm
Abel Ferrara’s neo-noir gangster film is a stone-cold classic. Ruthless mob boss Frank White (Christopher Walken) is released from prison after a long stint inside and looks to regain control of New York City by taking out rival gangs. When fellow leaders start turning up dead, however, a group of policemen headed by David Caruso’s DI Dennis decide to take the law into their own hands to bring him down.
Thursday 17 August


thetelegraph--2020-01-23--New details emerge over Man City's dispute with Uefa prior to 2014 FFP sanctions

Uefa rejected Manchester City ’ s accounting methods and recalculated club losses by an extra £60million prior to previous financial fair play sanctions in 2014 , it was claimed on Wednesday night .
City were also said to have been reported for failing to make bank statements available before their well-publicised conditional £49 million settlement with European football ’ s governing body .
The new details come to light days before City are due to learn their fate over a second Uefa FFP probe following revelations in the Football Leaks scandal .
Prior to their previous punishment , City had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over two seasons – £97 million in 2012 and £51.6 million in 2013 .
On Wednesday night , The Guardian reported the City were found to have made “ inadmissible submissions ” , apparently in relation to £118.75 million in sponsorships from companies in Abu Dhabi , the home state of the club ’ s owner .
Accounting methods over transfer fees and the formation of two new companies were rejected , it is claimed .
As a result , almost £60million was reportedly added to the club ’ s losses by Uefa @ @ @ @ @ @ @ within Uefa believed the regulations should have been more strictly enforced at the time .
City – who said in May last year that they were “ entirely confident ” of being cleared over a second investigation , this time an alleged £60million FFP breach – are likely to hear from the adjudicatory chamber of Uefa ’ s Club Financial Control Body ( CFCB ) imminently .
The club can go back to sport ’ s appeal court in Switzerland to challenge any verdict , which could still include a ban from the @ @ @

Uefa rejected Manchester City’s accounting methods and recalculated club losses by an extra £60million prior to previous financial fair play sanctions in 2014, it was claimed on Wednesday night.
City were also said to have been reported for failing to make bank statements available before their well-publicised conditional £49 million settlement with European football’s governing body.
The new details come to light days before City are due to learn their fate over a second Uefa FFP probe following revelations in the Football Leaks scandal.
Prior to their previous punishment, City had posted combined losses of almost £149 million over two seasons – £97 million in 2012 and £51.6 million in 2013.
On Wednesday night, The Guardian reported the City were found to have made “inadmissible submissions”, apparently in relation to £118.75 million in sponsorships from companies in Abu Dhabi, the home state of the club’s owner. Accounting methods over transfer fees and the formation of two new companies were rejected, it is claimed. As a result, almost £60million was reportedly added to the club’s losses by Uefa consultants. The Guardian claims that staff within Uefa believed the regulations should have been more strictly enforced at the time.
City – who said in May last year that they were “entirely confident” of being cleared over a second investigation, this time an alleged £60million FFP breach – are likely to hear from the adjudicatory chamber of Uefa’s Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) imminently. The club can go back to sport’s appeal court in Switzerland to challenge any verdict, which could still include a ban from the Champions League.


thetelegraph--2020-01-23--Penalised for wearing too much, criticised for wearing too little, sportswomen face scrutiny when it

Penalised for wearing too much, criticised for wearing too little, sportswomen face scrutiny when it comes to kit

“ I think some people still feel uncomfortable with women ’ s bodies , ” French tennis player Alize Cornet says matter-of-factly .
It is a year and a half since she was given a code violation for removing her T-shirt on court at the US Open , after realising she had it on inside-out .
Anyone who has sat through a Rafael Nadal match will be familiar with him whipping his sweat-drenched T-shirts off on court , but he has never received a warning for it .
An outraged public response to Cornet ’ s penalty – which many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her sports bra on court – led to organisers promptly changing the rules .
The United States Tennis Association also apologised , but Cornet believes the incident was indicative of a “ deeper ” issue .
“ Apparently the chair umpire was just shocked , ” she told Telegraph Women ’ s Sport , sarcasm seeping through the phone .
“ It was the most unfair decision , there ’ s no doubt about it .
I didn ’ t see it as sexist , but I think it ’ s a deeper @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and women in general in sport.
” Most women can remember a time they were made to feel uncomfortable in sports kit , whether that is wedgie-pulling in your netball dress , dreaded school swim sessions , or getting tangled in your sports bra .
In competitive sport these experiences all too often take a more disturbing turn .
In September last year , an Alaskan 17-year-old swimmer was disqualified from a school meet for allegedly wearing her swimsuit in a revealing way .

“I think some people still feel uncomfortable with women’s bodies,” French tennis player Alize Cornet says matter-of-factly. It is a year and a half since she was given a code violation for removing her T-shirt on court at the US Open, after realising she had it on inside-out.
Anyone who has sat through a Rafael Nadal match will be familiar with him whipping his sweat-drenched T-shirts off on court, but he has never received a warning for it. An outraged public response to Cornet’s penalty – which many interpreted as her being punished for exposing her sports bra on court – led to organisers promptly changing the rules. The United States Tennis Association also apologised, but Cornet believes the incident was indicative of a “deeper” issue.
“Apparently the chair umpire was just shocked,” she told Telegraph Women’s Sport, sarcasm seeping through the phone. “It was the most unfair decision, there’s no doubt about it. I didn’t see it as sexist, but I think it’s a deeper problem about the woman’s body, and women in general in sport.”
Most women can remember a time they were made to feel uncomfortable in sports kit, whether that is wedgie-pulling in your netball dress, dreaded school swim sessions, or getting tangled in your sports bra. In competitive sport these experiences all too often take a more disturbing turn.


thetelegraph--2020-01-23--Australia bushfires: Three Americans killed as water-bombing plane crashes while fighting blaze in N

Australia bushfires: Three Americans killed as water-bombing plane crashes while fighting blaze in New South Wales

Three American fire fighters were killed Thursday morning when a water tanker plane crashed in Australia .
At about 2pm @ @ @ @ @ Wales Rural Fire Service “ lost contact ” with the crew of the Lockheed C-130 @ @ @ @ @ bombing operations in the Snowy Monaro area in the state ’ s south .
The @ @ @ @ @ from North American firm Coulson Aviation as part of a seasonal arrangement with state fire @ @ @ @ @ fire fighters , US residents , were among around 200 American fire fighters who have @ @ @ @ @ December .
Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said “ initial reports ” said there @ @ @ @ @ ” when the plane crashed .

Three American fire fighters were killed Thursday morning when a water tanker plane crashed in Australia.
At about 2pm local time the New South Wales Rural Fire Service “lost contact” with the crew of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules being used in water bombing operations in the Snowy Monaro area in the state’s south.
The water-bombing aircraft had been leased from North American firm Coulson Aviation as part of a seasonal arrangement with state fire authorities in Australia.
The fire fighters, US residents, were among around 200 American fire fighters who have been deployed in Australia since December.
Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said “initial reports” said there was a “large fireball” when the plane crashed.


thetelegraph--2020-01-23--Chinese city at epicentre of coronavirus outbreak put on lockdown

The city at the centre of a mystery virus sweeping through China and beyond has been put on lockdown as @ @ @ @ @ fast-moving outbreak .
From 10am Thursday Beijing time , Wuhan - a city of 11 @ @ @ @ @ in effective quarantine , with air , bus , ferry and rail terminals all closed @ @ @ @ @ people leaving the city and potentially spreading the disease even further around the country .
@ @ @ @ @ coronavirus , which first emerged in the central Chinese city in December , has infected @ @ @ @ @ killed 17 .
The announcement of the lockdown came as the World Health Organisation pulled @ @ @ @ @ a global health emergency .
An emergency meeting of the WHO will reconvene again on @ @ @ @ @ outbreak is an international health emergency , a designation that will mean that affected countries @ @ @ @ @ China has been widely praised for its transparency so far .

The city at the centre of a mystery virus sweeping through China and beyond has been put on lockdown as authorities battle to contain this fast-moving outbreak.
From 10am Thursday Beijing time, Wuhan - a city of 11 million people - will be in effective quarantine, with air, bus, ferry and rail terminals all closed in a bid to prevent people leaving the city and potentially spreading the disease even further around the country.
The outbreak of the novel coronavirus, which first emerged in the central Chinese city in December, has infected at least 571 people and killed 17.
The announcement of the lockdown came as the World Health Organisation pulled back from declaring the situation a global health emergency.
An emergency meeting of the WHO will reconvene again on Thursday to discuss whether the outbreak is an international health emergency, a designation that will mean that affected countries must report cases - although China has been widely praised for its transparency so far.


thetelegraph--2020-01-23--Zimbabwe doctors' strike ends after help from tycoon

A strike by Zimbabwe 's doctors has ended after a billionaire living in Britain promised to improve their pay .
Strive Masiyiwa , who made a fortune in telecoms , intervened after a standoff of more than four months crippled the healthcare system .
He offered to temporarily pay up to 2,000 doctors around $ 300 ( £228 ) a month from a fund of around $ 6.25 million .
The Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors ' Association ( ZHDA ) said that Mr Masiyiwa 's offer , to be distributed through a programme run by his Higherlife Foundation , had been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ extend its gratitude to the Higherlife Foundation for extending its offer once again to all government doctors , '' a statement read .
`` The ZHDA is encouraging its entire membership to go and apply for the training fellowship before the stipulated deadline . ''
Mr Masiyiwa is the London-based Zimbabwe-born founder of Econet Wireless , a telecommunications giant , and has a net worth of more than $ 1.1 billion .
His Higherlife Foundation supports poor children in Zimbabwe , South Africa , Burundi and Lesotho .
The stand-off between Zimbabwe 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the backdrop of a major economic crisis , which has seen food shortages and high unemployment .
Some of the doctors on strike are paid less than $ 100 a month , according to the BBC , which means getting to work and buying food can be a struggle .

A strike by Zimbabwe's doctors has ended after a billionaire living in Britain promised to improve their pay.
Strive Masiyiwa, who made a fortune in telecoms, intervened after a standoff of more than four months crippled the healthcare system. He offered to temporarily pay up to 2,000 doctors around $300 (£228) a month from a fund of around $6.25 million.
The Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors' Association (ZHDA) said that Mr Masiyiwa's offer, to be distributed through a programme run by his Higherlife Foundation, had been accepted.
"The ZHDA wants to extend its gratitude to the Higherlife Foundation for extending its offer once again to all government doctors," a statement read. "The ZHDA is encouraging its entire membership to go and apply for the training fellowship before the stipulated deadline."
Mr Masiyiwa is the London-based Zimbabwe-born founder of Econet Wireless, a telecommunications giant, and has a net worth of more than $1.1 billion. His Higherlife Foundation supports poor children in Zimbabwe, South Africa, Burundi and Lesotho.
The stand-off between Zimbabwe's doctors and government has played out before the backdrop of a major economic crisis, which has seen food shortages and high unemployment.
Some of the doctors on strike are paid less than $100 a month, according to the BBC, which means getting to work and buying food can be a struggle.


thetelegraph--2020-01-23--Donald Trump breaks presidential tweeting record on frantic day

Even by Donald Trump 's standards , it has been a noisy 24 hours .
From railing against Greta Thunberg @ @ @ @ @ at his impeachment trial in Washington , the US president has had a lot to @ @ @ @ @ was not surprising that on Wednesday he set a new tweeting record .
Mr Trump @ @ @ @ @ of 123 tweets by only 4.25pm in Washington - and kept going .
By midnight @ @ @ @ @ on Twitter 131 times .
The most online president in US history tweeted and retweeted @ @ @ @ @ impeachment hearings , Democrats , the election and more on his favourite platform .
The @ @ @ @ @ tweeter since before entering the White House and has infamously tweeted gaffes and typos like @ @ @ @ @ himself a `` stable genius '' .
He once shared a quote from Benito Mussolini @ @ @ @ @ himself , and appeared to have fired Rex Tillerson , the former secretary of state @ @ @ @

Even by Donald Trump's standards, it has been a noisy 24 hours. From railing against Greta Thunberg at Davos to crying injustice at his impeachment trial in Washington, the US president has had a lot to talk about. So it was not surprising that on Wednesday he set a new tweeting record.
Mr Trump smashed through his previous record of 123 tweets by only 4.25pm in Washington - and kept going. By midnight on Wednesday he had posted on Twitter 131 times.
The most online president in US history tweeted and retweeted at length about the Senate impeachment hearings, Democrats, the election and more on his favourite platform.
The president has been a committed tweeter since before entering the White House and has infamously tweeted gaffes and typos like "covfefe" and calling himself a "stable genius".
He once shared a quote from Benito Mussolini that had been attributed to himself, and appeared to have fired Rex Tillerson, the former secretary of state, by tweet.


thetelegraph--2020-01-23--Jean-Paul Gaultier's final fashion show is star-studded affair

Jean Paul Gaultier bid farewell to the catwalk on Wednesday with a joyful fashion extravaganza featuring burlesque stars such as @ @ @ @ @ runway and performances by singer Boy George .
Known for his outlandish creations , and @ @ @ @ @ that set him apart in the often snooty fashion world , the French designer celebrated @ @ @ @ @ as well as his swan song .
And Gaultier did not disappoint , with an @ @ @ @ @ musical and part drag act , while models showcased spectacular costumes that included towering headdresses @ @ @ @ @ .
The designer , 67 , announced last week that the fashion show would be @ @ @ @ @ yet to detail his plans or whether a successor would be named to carry the @ @ @

Jean Paul Gaultier bid farewell to the catwalk on Wednesday with a joyful fashion extravaganza featuring burlesque stars such as Dita Von Teese on the runway and performances by singer Boy George.
Known for his outlandish creations, and an irreverent sense of humour that set him apart in the often snooty fashion world, the French designer celebrated 50 years in the business as well as his swan song.
And Gaultier did not disappoint, with an hour-long show that was part musical and part drag act, while models showcased spectacular costumes that included towering headdresses, feathers and bustiers galore.
The designer, 67, announced last week that the fashion show would be his last. He has yet to detail his plans or whether a successor would be named to carry the brand forward.


thetelegraph--2020-01-23--Robo-heart could solve organ transplant crisis

A soft robotic heart which would end the need for donor transplants , could be available within a decade , after scientists set out plans to build a hybrid organ from stem cells and biotech .
The cyber-heart has been shortlisted for £30 million in funding from the British Heart Foundation ( BHF ) for ‘ radical new approaches ’ to curing major heart conditions .
It is the brainchild of a team of Dutch scientists who are hoping it will solve the organ shortage crisis .
Lead researcher Professor Jolanda Kluin , of Amsterdam University Medical Centre ( UMC @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seeing a robot starfish , with soft supple limbs that could expand and contract like heart muscle .
“ There is a need for radical new solution , ” she told a briefing in London to announce the shortlist .
“ We ’ re decades away from building a living heart from a patient ’ s own cells , if we will ever be able to do it , but some three years ago I saw a picture in a Dutch newspaper , a picture of a soft robotic starfish , and it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ starfish .
“ Suddenly I saw the potential for merging the benefits of biology with power of soft robotics , for a hybrid heart , the first ever solution for end stage heart failure .
Soft robotic artificial cardiac muscles precisely mimic the human heart , so the hybrid heart really beats like a real heart .
And it is lined by the patient 's own cells preventing clotting , infection and reaction .
“ The energy transfer is wireless so that the patient experiences real freedom.
” The pumping heart would be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with a coil beneath the skin , transferring power wirelessly , like a mobile phone charger .
A separate battery would also be in built so that patients could swim and bathe .
There are around 7 million people living with heart and circulatory diseases in the UK and 152,000 will die each year .
For many a heart transplant is the only option but donors are limited .
In the 2018/2019 there were just 178 heart transplants were performed in Britain but 286 were left on the waiting list , and around @ @ @ @ @ @ @ heart each year .
Even when a donor heart is available , the body may reject the organ , and patients must be placed on strong drugs to dampen down their immune system which puts them at risk of infections and complications .

A soft robotic heart which would end the need for donor transplants, could be available within a decade, after scientists set out plans to build a hybrid organ from stem cells and biotech.
The cyber-heart has been shortlisted for £30 million in funding from the British Heart Foundation (BHF) for ‘radical new approaches’ to curing major heart conditions.
It is the brainchild of a team of Dutch scientists who are hoping it will solve the organ shortage crisis.
Lead researcher Professor Jolanda Kluin, of Amsterdam University Medical Centre (UMC), said she was inspired after seeing a robot starfish, with soft supple limbs that could expand and contract like heart muscle.
“There is a need for radical new solution,” she told a briefing in London to announce the shortlist.
“We’re decades away from building a living heart from a patient’s own cells, if we will ever be able to do it, but some three years ago I saw a picture in a Dutch newspaper, a picture of a soft robotic starfish, and it could move and swim like a living starfish.
“Suddenly I saw the potential for merging the benefits of biology with power of soft robotics, for a hybrid heart, the first ever solution for end stage heart failure. Soft robotic artificial cardiac muscles precisely mimic the human heart, so the hybrid heart really beats like a real heart. And it is lined by the patient's own cells preventing clotting, infection and reaction.


thetelegraph--2020-01-23--Grammar school pupils are no more likely to go to a top university than their comprehensive educated

Grammar school pupils are no more likely to go to a top university than their comprehensive educated peers

Going to a grammar school does not make you any more likely than a comprehensive educated child to get into an “ elite ” university , a study has found .
However , pupils who attend private schools are more likely to go to a Russell Group institution than their peers from similar backgrounds , according to an analysis of the 1970 British Cohort Study .
After controlling for pupils ’ background characteristics , such as their family and their academic achievement by age ten , researchers found that there was “ no advantage ” in attending a grammar school @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at fee-paying establishments were more likely to go to a top university , according to an analysis of the 1970 British Cohort Study .
Researchers at University College London ( UCL ) used data from the longitudinal study to examine the link between secondary schooling and university admissions for the generation born in 1970 .
They looked at how likely children from private schools , comprehensives and grammars were to go to Russell Group universities .
Prof Alice Sullivan , a sociologist vat UCL who led the study , wrote that her team @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” differences between pupils ’ progression to university depending on which type of school they went to .
They found that 29 per cent of private school pupils went on to Russell Group institutions compared to 12 per cent of grammar school alumni and five per cent from comprehensives .
But after controlling their background characteristics , these differences disappeared completely .
Prof Sullivan said that private schools “ appeared to confer a genuine advantage in the chances of attending an elite university ” .
Meanwhile , grammar school pupils ' chances “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pupils with similar socio-economic backgrounds and primary school test scores ” .
Researchers also analysed whether alumni of private or grammar schools were more likely to secure the highly sought after jobs , defined by those in the top five per cent of earnings .
“ Controlling for prior socio-economic and cognitive factors , having attended a private school was associated with a strong advantage in access to top social class positions and high earnings , ” Prof Sullivan said .
“ However , there was no grammar school advantage.
” When it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ family background “ matters a great deal ” while the type of school a child attends does not , she wrote .
Prof Sullivan examined whether a grammar school education had an impact on the future prospects of working class children .
“ We found no evidence for this , ” she wrote .
“ Grammar schools did not make any more difference to life chances for children from working-class origins than for those from middle-class origins .
“ This is important because the idea that selective schools provide an essential leg-up for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ claim that these schools promote both meritocracy and social mobility.
” Prof Sullivan ’ s findings were included in a collection of papers published by the Higher Education Policy Institute ( Hepi ) , which look at academic selection in England 's school system .
A paper published by Hepi last year argued grammar schools are sending more black and minority ethnic ( BME ) students to Cambridge University than all the other state schools in the country combined .
Children from the most disadvantaged 20 per cent of households are more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at Oxford or Cambridge if they live in an area with grammar schools , according to the report .
The paper examined the impact of selective schooling on state educated pupils ’ progression to top universities .
Iain Mansfield , a former senior civil servant who wrote the report , said the figures are a `` shocking indictment '' on the country 's 1,849 comprehensive schools .

Going to a grammar school does not make you any more likely than a comprehensive educated child to get into an “elite” university, a study has found.
However, pupils who attend private schools are more likely to go to a Russell Group institution than their peers from similar backgrounds, according to an analysis of the 1970 British Cohort Study.
After controlling for pupils’ background characteristics, such as their family and their academic achievement by age ten, researchers found that there was “no advantage” in attending a grammar school.
Meanwhile, children who were educated at fee-paying establishments were more likely to go to a top university, according to an analysis of the 1970 British Cohort Study.
Researchers at University College London (UCL) used data from the longitudinal study to examine the link between secondary schooling and university admissions for the generation born in 1970.
They looked at how likely children from private schools, comprehensives and grammars were to go to Russell Group universities.
Prof Alice Sullivan, a sociologist vat UCL who led the study, wrote that her team initially found that there were “stark” differences between pupils’ progression to university depending on which type of school they went to.
They found that 29 per cent of private school pupils went on to Russell Group institutions compared to 12 per cent of grammar school alumni and five per cent from comprehensives. But after controlling their background characteristics, these differences disappeared completely.


thetelegraph--2020-01-23--Climate change advisers call for steeper air travel tax to reforest country

Air travel should be taxed more and EU funds redirected to pay for a dramatic reforesting of Britain ’ s countryside , the government ’ s climate change advisers have recommended .
Farmers should be incentivised to plant 100 million new trees a year and consumers encouraged to eat a fifth less lamb , beef and dairy to cut sheep and cattle grazing by 10 per cent , the Committee on Climate Change has said .
Leaving the European Union presents an opportunity to fundamentally reshape agricultural practices in favour of the environment , says the body ’ s new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is charged with advising the government on how it can achieve its target of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 , which it set down in law last year .
It estimated the costs of changing British land use to meet this goal at £1.4bn , which it said could be mainly funded by redirecting the Common Agricultural Policy ( CAP ) after Britain leaves the EU and by carbon levies on airlines and other fossil fuel producers .
Farmers are paid £3.3bn in subsidies every year under the CAP , most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for farming .
Critics say the scheme , which was introduced in 1962 , encourages farmers to use land for agriculture with little regard for the environmental impact .

Air travel should be taxed more and EU funds redirected to pay for a dramatic reforesting of Britain’s countryside, the government’s climate change advisers have recommended.
Farmers should be incentivised to plant 100 million new trees a year and consumers encouraged to eat a fifth less lamb, beef and dairy to cut sheep and cattle grazing by 10 per cent, the Committee on Climate Change has said.
Leaving the European Union presents an opportunity to fundamentally reshape agricultural practices in favour of the environment, says the body’s new report on land use.
The committee is charged with advising the government on how it can achieve its target of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, which it set down in law last year.
It estimated the costs of changing British land use to meet this goal at £1.4bn, which it said could be mainly funded by redirecting the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) after Britain leaves the EU and by carbon levies on airlines and other fossil fuel producers.
Farmers are paid £3.3bn in subsidies every year under the CAP, most of it linked to owning land used for farming. Critics say the scheme, which was introduced in 1962, encourages farmers to use land for agriculture with little regard for the environmental impact.


thetelegraph--2020-01-23--Pensioners will have to choose between paying for BBC licence  or heating, Age UK warns

Hundreds of thousands of pensioners will have to choose between watching television or paying their heating bills when the BBC begins charging over-75s for the licence fee , Age UK has warned .
From June , the concession will be means-tested and only those over-75s receiving pension credit will be entitled to a free licence .
The £145.50 annual cost is equivalent to more than three months ’ worth of average gas or electricity bills , or around five months ’ of water bills .
The requirement to pay it will be “ a shock to the budgets of many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as it renewed its calls for the Government to take back responsibility for the scheme .
Caroline Abrahams , Age UK ’ s charity director , said : “ All the evidence is that if the BBC ’ s plan goes ahead , hundreds of thousands of over-75s will struggle to pay for their TV licence .
“ As winter bites this week , we know that many pensioners are worried about their heating bills and cutting back spending on other essentials , including food , to save money wherever they possibly can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in this situation need is to be hit in the pocket again in a few months ’ time and every year thereafter because they have to find the money for a TV licence too .
They are already shelling out a lot on their utilities and for some an extra £150-plus a year will be a bridge too far.
” Television is a lifeline for many older people , the charity said , offering a sense of companionship and “ a precious window on the world ” .
The charity said : “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is so much more than ‘ the box in the corner of the room ’ ... in many older people ’ s homes the TV goes on when they get up and off only when they go to bed .
”

Hundreds of thousands of pensioners will have to choose between watching television or paying their heating bills when the BBC begins charging over-75s for the licence fee, Age UK has warned.
From June, the concession will be means-tested and only those over-75s receiving pension credit will be entitled to a free licence.
The £145.50 annual cost is equivalent to more than three months’ worth of average gas or electricity bills, or around five months’ of water bills. The requirement to pay it will be “a shock to the budgets of many older people”, the charity said as it renewed its calls for the Government to take back responsibility for the scheme.
Caroline Abrahams, Age UK’s charity director, said: “All the evidence is that if the BBC’s plan goes ahead, hundreds of thousands of over-75s will struggle to pay for their TV licence.
“As winter bites this week, we know that many pensioners are worried about their heating bills and cutting back spending on other essentials, including food, to save money wherever they possibly can.
“The last thing older people in this situation need is to be hit in the pocket again in a few months’ time and every year thereafter because they have to find the money for a TV licence too. They are already shelling out a lot on their utilities and for some an extra £150-plus a year will be a bridge too far.”


thetelegraph--2020-01-23--NHS experiment in AI will see whole city offered virtual hospital appointments and diagnosis by chat

NHS experiment in AI will see whole city offered virtual hospital appointments and diagnosis by chatbot

An entire city is to take part in NHS experiment in Artificial Intelligence to ease pressure on GPs and hospitals , under new plans .
Patients will be able to Skype medics via smartphones , or receive a diagnosis by chatbots , under the deal agreed by one of the largest hospital trusts in the West Midlands .
Everyone living in Wolverhampton will be given access to an app - created by private firm Babylon - allowing them to book GP and hospital appointments , with some offered remotely .
David Loughton , chief executive of Royal Wolverhampton NHS trust @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” the way services were delivered .
Under the deal , NHS staff will be given access to the firm ’ s technology - including artificial intelligence , which assesses symptoms .
In addition , Babylon will use its network of clinical staff to boost NHS staff numbers , the company said .
The 10 year deal also sets out plans for increased use of wearables , and patients offered digital health assessments , carried out by chatbots , as well as the chance to play back their own consultations with medics .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ should be able to undergo monitoring at home , with results fed into their app , alerting specialists when an appointment was needed , Mr Loughton said .
Ali Parsa , chief executive and founder of Babylon , said the plans would help the NHS to lead healthcare across the world .
The private company already offers a service - GP at Hand - which has provoked controversy among medics .
Under this deal , patients in London and Birmingham are able to sign up for GP appointments via smartphone , instead of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have argued that the service is depriving GPs of needed funding , because such services attract healthy middle-class patients , leaving family doctors to deal with the most complex cases .
Matt Hancock , the Health Secretary , has repeatedly said such types of services must be available for all patients , vowing to end a “ postcode lottery ” in access to digital healthcare .
Last January , officials pledged that within five years , one in three hospital appointments would be scrapped , with patients instead given Skype consultations or monitoring @ @ @

An entire city is to take part in NHS experiment in Artificial Intelligence to ease pressure on GPs and hospitals, under new plans.
Patients will be able to Skype medics via smartphones, or receive a diagnosis by chatbots, under the deal agreed by one of the largest hospital trusts in the West Midlands.
Everyone living in Wolverhampton will be given access to an app - created by private firm Babylon - allowing them to book GP and hospital appointments, with some offered remotely.
David Loughton, chief executive of Royal Wolverhampton NHS trust, said the change would “transform” the way services were delivered.
Under the deal, NHS staff will be given access to the firm’s technology - including artificial intelligence, which assesses symptoms.
In addition, Babylon will use its network of clinical staff to boost NHS staff numbers, the company said.
The 10 year deal also sets out plans for increased use of wearables, and patients offered digital health assessments, carried out by chatbots, as well as the chance to play back their own consultations with medics.
In future, patients with chronic conditions should be able to undergo monitoring at home, with results fed into their app, alerting specialists when an appointment was needed, Mr Loughton said.


thetelegraph--2020-01-23--One in three people with facial disfigurement have suffered abuse in the street, survey reveals

One in three people who have a facial disfigurement have suffered abuse in the street , a new survey has revealed .
Some 28 per cent of those with a visible difference have been shouted at and insulted while out in public and more than 70 per cent of those incidents went unreported .
A further 10 per cent report being repeatedly harassed on social media .
The findings , from a survey of 1,046 people , were made by Changing Faces , the UK 's leading charity for everyone who has a mark , scar or condition which makes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first in-depth study of its kind on the daily challenges they face , as well as the anxiety and distress caused by being singled out for the way they look .
The troubling figures come after American television presenter Wendy Williams 's apparent mocking of actor Joaquin Phoenix for a scar on his upper lip .
Williams was accused of insulting people with a cleft palate while discussing Phoenix 's Golden Globe Awards success on her show two weeks ago .
Changing Faces is today launching a campaign to tackle hate crime against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a revealing video of first person accounts .
Award-winning campaigner , actor and presenter Adam Pearson , who has neurofibromatosis and appears in the short film , said : “ I ’ ve been abused in the street but I also get a lot of hate online .
`` Some people say to me ‘ well just quit social media ’ but that ’ s not a solution .
Why should victims of abuse be removed from social media platforms ?
It only further ostracises them . ''

One in three people who have a facial disfigurement have suffered abuse in the street, a new survey has revealed.
Some 28 per cent of those with a visible difference have been shouted at and insulted while out in public and more than 70 per cent of those incidents went unreported.
A further 10 per cent report being repeatedly harassed on social media.
The findings, from a survey of 1,046 people, were made by Changing Faces, the UK's leading charity for everyone who has a mark, scar or condition which makes them look different.
It is the first in-depth study of its kind on the daily challenges they face, as well as the anxiety and distress caused by being singled out for the way they look.
The troubling figures come after American television presenter Wendy Williams's apparent mocking of actor Joaquin Phoenix for a scar on his upper lip.
Williams was accused of insulting people with a cleft palate while discussing Phoenix's Golden Globe Awards success on her show two weeks ago.
Changing Faces is today launching a campaign to tackle hate crime against those who look different, which includes a revealing video of first person accounts.
Award-winning campaigner, actor and presenter Adam Pearson, who has neurofibromatosis and appears in the short film, said: “I’ve been abused in the street but I also get a lot of hate online.


thetelegraph--2020-01-23--Britain's small birds have been boosted by warmer winter, says RSPB ahead of annual survey

Britain 's smallest birds have been boosted by the mild winter , the RSPB has said , as they launch their annual Big Garden Birdwatch survey .
People taking part in the count , which has been going on for 41 years and is the biggest wildlife survey in the world , are likely to see coal tits , blue-tits , long-tailed tits , wrens and gold crests .
Long-tailed tits can be seen huddling together for warmth in the cold , but their populations can be decimated by harsh winters .
The RSPB has seen an uptick in these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ winters in the 60s and 80s devastated populations but they are quite a resilient species and seem to be bouncing back .
Our gardens have become good places for small birds to survive the winter ; they have over the past few decades begun to make more use of feeders .
The UK 's smallest bird , the goldcrest , is also likely to see an increase this year , the bird charity said .
They weigh around the same as a 20 pence piece and migrate from Scandinavia in the autumn .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ winters as they struggle to conserve enough energy to both scavenge for food and stay warm through the night .

Britain's smallest birds have been boosted by the mild winter, the RSPB has said, as they launch their annual Big Garden Birdwatch survey.
People taking part in the count, which has been going on for 41 years and is the biggest wildlife survey in the world, are likely to see coal tits, blue-tits, long-tailed tits, wrens and gold crests.
Long-tailed tits can be seen huddling together for warmth in the cold, but their populations can be decimated by harsh winters. The RSPB has seen an uptick in these this year on their sites.
Freezing winters in the 60s and 80s devastated populations but they are quite a resilient species and seem to be bouncing back. Our gardens have become good places for small birds to survive the winter; they have over the past few decades begun to make more use of feeders.
The UK's smallest bird, the goldcrest, is also likely to see an increase this year, the bird charity said. They weigh around the same as a 20 pence piece and migrate from Scandinavia in the autumn. The tiny birds are vulnerable to bad winters as they struggle to conserve enough energy to both scavenge for food and stay warm through the night.


thetelegraph--2020-01-23--Insys founder John Kapoor sentenced to five and a half years in prison for opioid bribes

John Kapoor , the founder of US drug maker Insys , was sentenced to five and a half years in @ @ @ @ @ to fuel America 's deadly opioid crisis .
The 76-year-old became the first owner of @ @ @ @ @ jailed over the crisis that has killed tens of thousands of Americans .
Kapoor was @ @ @ @ @ elaborate scheme that saw Insys pay doctors money to prescribe the company 's addictive painkiller @ @ @ @ @ not need it .
He was found guilty of criminal conspiracy , along with four @ @ @ @ @ Arizona-based firm , following a 10-week trial in Boston .

John Kapoor, the founder of US drug maker Insys, was sentenced to five and a half years in prison on Friday for helping to fuel America's deadly opioid crisis.
The 76-year-old became the first owner of a pharmaceutical company to be jailed over the crisis that has killed tens of thousands of Americans.
Kapoor was convicted in May of an elaborate scheme that saw Insys pay doctors money to prescribe the company's addictive painkiller Subsys to patients who did not need it.
He was found guilty of criminal conspiracy, along with four other former executives of the Arizona-based firm, following a 10-week trial in Boston.
In 2017, President Donald Trump declared the opioid crisis a national public health emergency.


thetelegraph--2020-01-23--Rory McIlroy puts himself into contention at Farmers Insurance Open with five-under opening round

Rory McIlroy ’ s challenge to return to world No 1 after a five-year absence began in promising style at Torrey Pines as he shot a five-under 67 to figure high on the Farmers Insurance Open leaderboard .
This was McIlroy ’ s first competitive round of 2020 , but he showed little sign of rust following his six-week break .
Granted , the 30-year-old played on the easier North Course and will face a much sterner test on the South Course on Friday , but his form off the tee was such that he should not and will not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drive like that for the rest of the year , I ’ ll be very happy , ” McIlroy said .
“ I had a few clunky chips and I felt there were some weak and tentative putts .
So yeah , I left a few shots out there , but I have to be satisfied .
“ Of course , there ’ s a long way to go and I ’ m not putting any pressure on myself , but I read a stat that I have never won in my first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , this would be a great week to change.
” Nothing else but the victory would be enough for him to displace Brooks Koepka at the top of the rankings , yet after his fifth place on his debut at the renowned San Diego club last year , he is clearly confident .
“ I feel I can improve each and every day this week , ” McIlroy said , after posting seven birdies and two bogeys .

Rory McIlroy’s challenge to return to world No 1 after a five-year absence began in promising style at Torrey Pines as he shot a five-under 67 to figure high on the Farmers Insurance Open leaderboard.
This was McIlroy’s first competitive round of 2020, but he showed little sign of rust following his six-week break. Granted, the 30-year-old played on the easier North Course and will face a much sterner test on the South Course on Friday, but his form off the tee was such that he should not and will not be daunted.
“If I could drive like that for the rest of the year, I’ll be very happy,” McIlroy said. “I had a few clunky chips and I felt there were some weak and tentative putts. So yeah, I left a few shots out there, but I have to be satisfied.
“Of course, there’s a long way to go and I’m not putting any pressure on myself, but I read a stat that I have never won in my first event of the year and, obviously, this would be a great week to change.”
Nothing else but the victory would be enough for him to displace Brooks Koepka at the top of the rankings, yet after his fifth place on his debut at the renowned San Diego club last year, he is clearly confident. “I feel I can improve each and every day this week,” McIlroy said, after posting seven birdies and two bogeys.


thetelegraph--2020-01-23--Harry Dunn: US Secretary of State rejects extradition request for woman charged with the teenager's

Harry Dunn: US Secretary of State rejects extradition request for woman charged with the teenager's death

An extradition request for the US woman charged with causing the death of teenage motorcyclist Harry Dunn by dangerous driving has been turned down by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo , the family spokesman has said .
The 19-year-old 's parents were informed of Mr Pompeo 's decision in a phone call with their constituency MP Andrea Leadsom on Thursday .
Mr Dunn was killed when his motorbike crashed into a car outside a US military base in Northamptonshire on August 27 last year .
Anne Sacoolas , 42 , was charged with causing his death by dangerous driving by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mrs Sacoolas was granted diplomatic immunity following the crash and was able to return to her home country , sparking an international controversy .
Boris Johnson previously said the chance of the suspect ever returning to the UK was very low .
Mr Dunn 's family said they would react fully to the news on Friday morning , but said `` the fight goes on '' for justice for their son .
In response to the extradition request being rejected , a spokeswoman for the Home Office said : `` We are disappointed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a denial of justice .
We are urgently considering our options . ''

Britain on Friday rebuked the United States for refusing to extradite a diplomat's wife charged over a car crash that killed teenage motorcyclist Harry Dunn, calling it a "denial of justice".
The extradition request for Anna Sacoolas, the US woman charged with causing death by dangerous driving, was turned down by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the family spokesman has said.
The 19-year-old's parents were informed of Mr Pompeo's decision in a phone call with their constituency MP Andrea Leadsom on Thursday.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has said the Government is disappointed about the decision not to extradite Harry Dunn crash suspect Anne Sacoolas to the UK, adding: “We feel this amounts to a denial of justice, and we believe Anne Sacoolas should return to the UK. We are now urgently considering our options.”
Mr Dunn was killed when his motorbike crashed into a car outside a US military base in Northamptonshire on August 27 last year.


thetelegraph--2020-01-23--Fourteen people in Britain tested for coronavirus, as Health Secretary says UK is prepared for virus

Fourteen people have been tested for suspected coronavirus in the UK with five confirmed negative and nine still awaiting the results , Public Health England said last night .
Officials said on Thursday night there had been no `` confirmed cases '' of the disease and stressed the risk to the public remained low amid increasing fears the virus may have spread to Britain from China .
Five people are being tested in Scotland and one in Northern Ireland .
Six patients who had all travelled to the UK from Wuhan , where the outbreak is thought to have originated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are showing symptoms of respiratory trouble , a red flag for the virus .
University cities in Britain were on high alert after five Chinese patients were admitted to hospitals in Scotland , and one in Belfast .
One in five international students in Britain are from China , and Professor Haas suggested that Edinburgh is suffering from three cases because it has such a large Chinese student population .
A Scottish Government spokesperson said : `` There are currently no confirmed cases of Coronavirus ( WN Co-V ) in Scotland and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Following travel to Wuhan , China , two people confirmed as diagnosed with influenza are now being tested for Wuhan Novel Coronavirus as a precautionary measure only .
Three further people are also undergoing testing on a similar precautionary basis .

Tests on 14 people in the UK have come back negative but there are checks ongoing on other people, according to the Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty.
The number of cases has jumped to 830 and the death toll has risen to at least 26, with two fatalities now reported outside of Wuhan and 12 cases confirmed globally.
Professor Whitty spoke following the Government's Cobra contingencies committee, which met on Friday to discuss the outbreak of coronavirus.
In a statement he said: "I am working closely with the other UK chief medical officers. "We all agree that the risk to the UK public remains low, but there may well be cases in the UK at some stage.
"We have tried and tested measures in place to respond. The UK is well-prepared for these types of incidents, with excellent readiness against infectious diseases.
"We have global experts monitoring the situation around the clock and have a strong track record of managing new forms of infectious disease.
"The UK has access to some of the best infectious disease and public health experts in the world.
"A public health hub will be set up in Heathrow from today. This consists of clinicians and other public health officials, in addition to existing port health measures."
He added: "We think there's a fair chance we may get some cases over time.
"Of course this depends on whether this continues for a long time, or whether this turns out to be something which is brought under control relatively quickly."
He added: "I think we should definitely see this as a marathon, not a sprint we need to have our entire response based on that principle."
One of those cleared in the UK was Michael Hope, 45, who spent two days in quarantine this week after returning to Newcastle from Wuhan.
He arrived back on Sunday feeling unwell, having been ill since January 4, and after telling his GP in a telephone clinic about his recent return from Wuhan, he was rushed to the city's Royal Victoria Infirmary and put in isolation.
He said: "The care was exceptional.
"It was scary being there but they made me feel quite relaxed.
"They were very human even though they looked like spacemen."
Mr Hope said he felt like the film character ET while he was treated by the masked medics.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the risk to the UK public from the coronavirus "remains low" after chairing the Cobra meeting.
Exiting the Cabinet Office, Mr Hancock said: "We have just held a Cobra meeting on the coronavirus concerns.
"As I made clear to the House yesterday, the clinical advice is that the risk to the public remains low and the chief medical officer will be making a full statement later today."
But the medical director for Public Health England said on Friday morning that it was ‘highly likely’ the virus will come to Britain.
Speaking to Radio 4’s Today programme, Dr Paul Cosford said that it was now ‘highly likely’ that the infection would spread to Britain.
“There are no positive cases in the UK as yet, but we will go on testing and those numbers will of course change,” he said.
“I think it's highly likely that we will have cases in the UK, and of course every so often we do get new infections coming from the animal kingdom such as this one.
“We do have a whole range of plans ready to go when that is the case and, and these are being implemented now so our systems are ready to diagnose somebody if they do come to the UK and have this infection, and of course the NHS is prepared to treat people, if they have this infection.”
All the people tested in the UK had visited Wuhan - the Chinese city where the outbreak originated.
Four out five patients tested in Scotland were Chinese nationals.
Dr Cosford added that anyone returning from China who experienced symptoms should avoid ‘pitching up’ at hospitals or their GP, and instead contact NHS 111.
But he said that the majority of people would probably recover if they contracted the virus.
“Coronavirus is a very broad Church of viruses, from the common cold on one hand two sides on the other,” he added.
“The people who have died are large the older people with other illnesses that they've got. And as I say that the majority of people. It does look as if they’re making a full recovery.”
Sir Jeremy Farrar, of the Wellcome Trust, said: “I am alarmed, but there is a big difference between that and panic. If this does take off like in China the pressure on the NHS will be very difficult.”
Private schools may need to make plans for overseas pupils
Private schools may need to make plans for overseas pupils who are unable or unwilling to return home for upcoming holidays due to the coronavirus outbreak, it has been suggested.
While there is "no immediate cause for concern" the situation needs to be closely monitored, independent school groups have said.
Schools should "err on the side of caution" to minimise risks to staff and students, according to guidance issued by the Girls' Schools Association (GSA).
China sends more pupils to UK fee-paying schools than any other country.
Latest figures show that Chinese children made up around one in six of all international students at these schools.
In a statement, the GSA, which represents a group of fee-paying girls' schools, said it is "drawing schools' attention to the advice given by Public Health England concerning the corona virus and travel to China".


thetelegraph--2020-01-23--League One strugglers Tranmere shock Watford to set up FA Cup tie against Manchester United

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his crisis-hit Manchester United stars will not relish playing on the Prenton Park `` beach '' after Tranmere set up an intriguing FA Cup fourth round clash on Sunday .
Paul Mullin 's extra-time goal earned the League One strugglers a win over Watford 's shadow squad and a much-needed £500,000-plus cash jackpot in the fourth round .
It will be the first time United will have ever visited Tranmere and they will not be looking forward to facing Micky Mellon 's fired-up team , who proved too strong for the youngsters fielded by Nigel Pearson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Louis Van Gaal 's United in the fifth round in 2016 , said : `` This has got to be up there with one of the best nights in the club 's history .
It is massive for us .
It will be a game-changer for the club on Sunday .
`` United playing here is brilliant for the whole area .
It is no secret we need the money and it will give us an opportunity to strengthen the squad .
They are a fantastic football club and will come here @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other side of that when I was at Shrewsbury and they came like robots , did the job and got out of town .
I know that is the threat they possess .
We have to go out there and understand that is what will come here .

Tranmere Rovers 2 Watford 1
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his crisis-hit Manchester United stars will not relish playing on the Prenton Park "beach" after Tranmere set up an intriguing FA Cup fourth round clash on Sunday.
Paul Mullin's extra-time goal earned the League One strugglers a win over Watford's shadow squad and a much-needed £500,000-plus cash jackpot in the fourth round. It will be the first time United will have ever visited Tranmere and they will not be looking forward to facing Micky Mellon's fired-up team, who proved too strong for the youngsters fielded by Nigel Pearson.
Mellon, whose Shrewsbury team lost to Louis Van Gaal's United in the fifth round in 2016, said: "This has got to be up there with one of the best nights in the club's history. It is massive for us. It will be a game-changer for the club on Sunday.
"United playing here is brilliant for the whole area. It is no secret we need the money and it will give us an opportunity to strengthen the squad. They are a fantastic football club and will come here very professional. I've seen the other side of that when I was at Shrewsbury and they came like robots, did the job and got out of town. I know that is the threat they possess. We have to go out there and understand that is what will come here.


thetelegraph--2020-01-23--Liverpool’s unbeaten record comes under threat but Wolves toppled by Roberto Firmino's late strike

There will be a time , one can only assume , when a Premier League side finds a way to stop Liverpool , and as the mist came down in the Black Country it seemed that they might have met their match at last , but these are the days of wonder for the league leaders .
Had they left Molineux with a draw , against arguably their most challenging opponent in this season of seasons , they would have done so with a huge lead nonetheless at the top of the table and their 40 league game unbeaten sequence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with Sadio Mane off injured , and Wolverhampton Wanderers ’ Adama Traore so dominant on the right wing that only the inconvenience of running out of pitch threatened to stop him .
Yet with six regulation minutes remaining , Jordan Henderson polished off one of the finest performances of his season with a throughball to Roberto Firmino that Liverpool ’ s centre-forward dispatched and suddenly it all felt very familiar .
This was their 14th consecutive league victory , a run that stretches all the way back to that single draw in late @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of wins – 12 months in which winning can feel like an inevitability .
Sixteen points clear again , can they go all the way to the title without a defeat ?
It seems improbable that with the resumption of their Champions League defence there will not be more injuries like Mane ’ s , a hamstring the severity of which has not yet been tested .
Watching the counter-attacking combinations of Raul Jimenez , Wolves ’ s goalscorer , and Traore , there might be others who spy a way to beat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Liverpool were not always at their best in the aspects of the game you might expect them to prevail , and yet prevail they did .
They say that the hallmark of champions is that they win when they play badly , but no great teams have truly bad performances – just those when fall below their high standards .
There were times when Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold found themselves struggling against Traore and Pedro Neto respectively , and many moments when you wondered how Mohamed Salah ’ s team-mates put up with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a better option .
Liverpool were made to look vulnerable at times but they never permitted those moments to last long .

There will be a time, one can only assume, when a Premier League side finds a way to stop Liverpool, and as the mist came down in the Black Country it seemed that they might have met their match at last, but these are the days of wonder for the league leaders.
Had they left Molineux with a draw, against arguably their most challenging opponent in this season of seasons, they would have done so with a huge lead nonetheless at the top of the table and their 40 league game unbeaten sequence intact.
That might have been acceptable with Sadio Mane off injured, and Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Adama Traore so dominant on the right wing that only the inconvenience of running out of pitch threatened to stop him. Yet with six regulation minutes remaining, Jordan Henderson polished off one of the finest performances of his season with a throughball to Roberto Firmino that Liverpool’s centre-forward dispatched and suddenly it all felt very familiar.
This was their 14th consecutive league victory, a run that stretches all the way back to that single draw in late October, another win in a season of wins – 12 months in which winning can feel like an inevitability. Sixteen points clear again, can they go all the way to the title without a defeat? It seems improbable that with the resumption of their Champions League defence there will not be more injuries like Mane’s, a hamstring the severity of which has not yet been tested.
Watching the counter-attacking combinations of Raul Jimenez, Wolves’s goalscorer, and Traore, there might be others who spy a way to beat them. This was a night when Liverpool were not always at their best in the aspects of the game you might expect them to prevail, and yet prevail they did.
They say that the hallmark of champions is that they win when they play badly, but no great teams have truly bad performances – just those when fall below their high standards. There were times when Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold found themselves struggling against Traore and Pedro Neto respectively, and many moments when you wondered how Mohamed Salah’s team-mates put up with his compulsion to shoot instead of take a better option. Liverpool were made to look vulnerable at times but they never permitted those moments to last long.


thetelegraph--2020-01-23--Nuno Espirito Santo's bold game plan so close to providing a Molineux upset against Liverpool

It is tempting to imagine the conversations in the coaches summit rooms led by the 39 managers who had already tried and failed to outwit Jurgen Klopp before last night ’ s trip to Molineux .
What sorcery did they seek to conjure from their players in search of the elusive win to end Klopp ’ s unbeaten streak ?
How many contemplated a bold , attacking charge , forcing back full-backs Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold to retreat to nullify their attacking threat ?
How many circled the central midfielders Jordan Henderson and Gini Wijnaldum and considered denying them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strategy ?
Who would dare imagine thrusting as many forward as reasonable to make Virgil Van Dijk at least give the impression he had to break sweat ?
We have awaited such an adventurer to show himself in the Premier League .
In Nuno Espirito Santo , at least English football can identify a coach with an idea of how to make life uncomfortable for the league leaders .
Even in defeat , Wolves have been the toughest league opponents Klopp has faced this season .
He acknowledged as much , surely relieved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this season .
“ Wolves are doing so unbelievably well and are so different to everything else you face in the year .
How Nuno sets it up is really good , ” said the Liverpool manager .

It is tempting to imagine the conversations in the coaches summit rooms led by the 39 managers who had already tried and failed to outwit Jurgen Klopp before last night’s trip to Molineux. What sorcery did they seek to conjure from their players in search of the elusive win to end Klopp’s unbeaten streak?
How many contemplated a bold, attacking charge, forcing back full-backs Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold to retreat to nullify their attacking threat?
How many circled the central midfielders Jordan Henderson and Gini Wijnaldum and considered denying them time and space integral to a winning strategy? Who would dare imagine thrusting as many forward as reasonable to make Virgil Van Dijk at least give the impression he had to break sweat?
We have awaited such an adventurer to show himself in the Premier League. In Nuno Espirito Santo, at least English football can identify a coach with an idea of how to make life uncomfortable for the league leaders. Even in defeat, Wolves have been the toughest league opponents Klopp has faced this season.
He acknowledged as much, surely relieved he will not face their challenge again this season. “Wolves are doing so unbelievably well and are so different to everything else you face in the year. How Nuno sets it up is really good,” said the Liverpool manager.


thetelegraph--2020-01-23--Uncle Vanya review, Harold Pinter Theatre: Toby Jones is stunning in this sensitive but safe product

Uncle Vanya review, Harold Pinter Theatre: Toby Jones is stunning in this sensitive but safe production

The quintessential Chekhovian anti-hero , Uncle Vanya is a character that has had Toby Jones ’ s name written all over it for a while .
Jones ( son of the late Freddie ) has arrived at stardom by specialising in peculiarities , misfits , ‘ little guys ’ .
Two years ago at the Harold Pinter , he was embittered , truculent , haunted and hunted Stanley in Pinter ’ s The Birthday Party .
Now , for director Ian Rickson again , he brings similar shades of rumpled , resentful expression to bear on a man who has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of his academic brother in law ( Serebryakov ) only to hit middle-age and obsess that he has been conned out of his share of happiness ( and achievement ) .
Assisted by a nuanced , if occasionally foul-mouthed new version by Conor McPherson , again he delivers a bravura performance , even more affecting this time round .
That ’ s partly because all of us can ( or will ) identify with the anguish of those who don ’ t feel they ’ ve got their dues .
But also Jones @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as he gingerly steps around a vast living-room area where everyone is battling deathly ennui .
It takes a kind of bravery to be so diffident on stage : Jones rubs his hands awkwardly round his neck , behind his ears , sticks them in his pockets ; he squints , sidles here and there , leans for support on tables and chairs .
I ’ ve seen angrier Vanyas ( Roger Allam ) , more melancholy Vanyas ( Simon Russell Beale ) .
I ’ m not sure I ’ ve seen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fury and futility when – re-roused to ire at talk of the estate being sold-off – Jones ’ s frantically unhappy nobody runs amok with a gun , then subsides into stunned apathy .

The quintessential Chekhovian anti-hero, Uncle Vanya is a character that has had Toby Jones’s name written all over it for a while. Jones (son of the late Freddie) has arrived at stardom by specialising in peculiarities, misfits, ‘little guys’.
Two years ago at the Harold Pinter, he was embittered, truculent, haunted and hunted Stanley in Pinter’s The Birthday Party. Now, for director Ian Rickson again, he brings similar shades of rumpled, resentful expression to bear on a man who has toiled on a provincial estate on behalf of his academic brother in law (Serebryakov) only to hit middle-age and obsess that he has been conned out of his share of happiness (and achievement).
Assisted by a nuanced, if occasionally foul-mouthed new version by Conor McPherson, again he delivers a bravura performance, even more affecting this time round. That’s partly because all of us can (or will) identify with the anguish of those who don’t feel they’ve got their dues.
But also Jones doesn’t put a foot wrong as he gingerly steps around a vast living-room area where everyone is battling deathly ennui. It takes a kind of bravery to be so diffident on stage: Jones rubs his hands awkwardly round his neck, behind his ears, sticks them in his pockets; he squints, sidles here and there, leans for support on tables and chairs.


thetelegraph--2020-01-23--Barcelona make inquiry over Christian Eriksen as Toby Alderweireld insists there is ‘no negativity’

Barcelona make inquiry over Christian Eriksen as Toby Alderweireld insists there is ‘no negativity’ at Tottenham

Barcelona have made a late inquiry over Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Christian Eriksen .
Inter Milan have been on the brink of landing the Denmark international and have submitted a bid worth £13 million in total , with personal terms agreed .
But Barca have spoken to Spurs about a deal to land Eriksen and will now consider whether to enter the race for the 27-year-old .
Spurs would want £17million for Eriksen , despite him running down his contract and being able to leave on a free transfer at the end of the season .
Eriksen was booed by some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2-1 victory over Norwich City but team-mate Eric Dier said : “ There is nothing negative you could say about Christian .
I have been here almost as long as he has and he has always handled himself in the best way .
“ He has always been one of the most professional players I have known and one of the best players at Tottenham on the most consistent basis .
When you look , he has probably played the most games in that period .
He does not deserve that  [ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Toby Alderweireld , the Tottenham defender , has insisted that the squad remain in full support of head coach Jose Mourinho amid reports of growing unrest among senior players .

Barcelona have made a late inquiry over Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Christian Eriksen. Inter Milan have been on the brink of landing the Denmark international and have submitted a bid worth £13 million in total, with personal terms agreed.
But Barca have spoken to Spurs about a deal to land Eriksen and will now consider whether to enter the race for the 27-year-old.
Spurs would want £17million for Eriksen, despite him running down his contract and being able to leave on a free transfer at the end of the season.
Eriksen was booed by some Spurs fans on Wednesday during the unconvincing 2-1 victory over Norwich City but team-mate Eric Dier said: “There is nothing negative you could say about Christian. I have been here almost as long as he has and he has always handled himself in the best way.
“He has always been one of the most professional players I have known and one of the best players at Tottenham on the most consistent basis. When you look, he has probably played the most games in that period. He does not deserve that [booing] from anyone.”
Meanwhile, Toby Alderweireld, the Tottenham defender, has insisted that the squad remain in full support of head coach Jose Mourinho amid reports of growing unrest among senior players.


thetelegraph--2020-01-23--Manchester United tentatively explore option of a move for Edinson Cavani

Manchester United are cautiously exploring the option of a move for Edinson Cavani as one of a number of clubs who have been offered the chance to sign the Paris St Germain and Uruguay striker this month .
But United officials are thought to harbour a number of reservations about a deal and are wary of repeating some of the mistakes made with the signing of Alexis Sanchez .
Atletico Madrid and Chelsea have been leading the race for Cavani , who has asked to leave PSG .
The Uruguayan ’ s parents have suggested his preference is to join @ @ @ @ @ @ @ discouraged Chelsea , the west London club are so far proving reluctant to meet PSG ’ s £12.6 million valuation of the player , who is out of contract at the end of the season .
Whether United opt to formally enter the running remains to be seen but the club ’ s hierarchy are giving consideration to a move , even if the Sanchez experience is informing those internal discussions .
Having missed out on their top January target , Norway striker Erling Haaland , who opted to join Borussia Dortmund instead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for months with a double stress fracture , Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is keen to reinforce his attacking options .

Manchester United are cautiously exploring the option of a move for Edinson Cavani as one of a number of clubs who have been offered the chance to sign the Paris St Germain and Uruguay striker this month.
But United officials are thought to harbour a number of reservations about a deal and are wary of repeating some of the mistakes made with the signing of Alexis Sanchez.
Atletico Madrid and Chelsea have been leading the race for Cavani, who has asked to leave PSG.
The Uruguayan’s parents have suggested his preference is to join Atletico but, while that has not discouraged Chelsea, the west London club are so far proving reluctant to meet PSG’s £12.6 million valuation of the player, who is out of contract at the end of the season.
Whether United opt to formally enter the running remains to be seen but the club’s hierarchy are giving consideration to a move, even if the Sanchez experience is informing those internal discussions.
Having missed out on their top January target, Norway striker Erling Haaland, who opted to join Borussia Dortmund instead, and with Marcus Rashford now sidelined for months with a double stress fracture, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is keen to reinforce his attacking options.


thetelegraph--2020-01-23--Leicester City receive Jamie Vardy fitness boost ahead of Carabao Cup semi-final against Aston Villa

Jamie Vardy could return for Leicester 's crucial Carabao Cup semi-final against Aston Villa next week , in a huge @ @ @ @ @ Vardy has undergone a scan on the glute muscle injury he sustained in the 4-1 @ @ @ @ @ Wednesday night and Leicester are confident that the Premier League 's leading scorer will make @ @ @ @ @ 33 year old was taken off late in the first-half after clearing the ball near @ @ @ @ @ and there were early fears that he had suffered a hamstring injury .
But Rodgers @ @ @ @ @ Vardy 's injury was related to his glute , and the striker was assessed by @ @ @ @ @ Vardy is likely to undergo further tests in the next 48 hours but there is @ @ @ @ @ will be available for the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final on Tuesday night @ @ @ @ @ poised at 1-1 .

Jamie Vardy could return for Leicester's crucial Carabao Cup semi-final against Aston Villa next week, in a huge boost for Brendan Rodgers.
Vardy has undergone a scan on the glute muscle injury he sustained in the 4-1 win over West Ham on Wednesday night and Leicester are confident that the Premier League's leading scorer will make a swift return.
The 33 year old was taken off late in the first-half after clearing the ball near the Leicester penalty area, and there were early fears that he had suffered a hamstring injury.
But Rodgers revealed after the match that Vardy's injury was related to his glute, and the striker was assessed by medical staff on Thursday.
Vardy is likely to undergo further tests in the next 48 hours but there is an outside chance that he will be available for the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final on Tuesday night, with the tie delicately poised at 1-1.


thetelegraph--2020-01-23--Boris Becker, Wimbledon winner at 17, says Coco Gauff should not be talked up too soon

Boris Becker has warned against hyping up 15-year-old phenomenon Coco Gauff , who plays the defending Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka in the headline match on Friday on Rod Laver Arena .
Becker knows whereof he speaks , having won Wimbledon at 17 and faced overwhelming expectations thereafter .
When he eventually lost a match at the All England Club , two years later , he jolted a roomful of shocked journalists back to reality with his most famous quote : “ I lost a tennis match .
Nobody died.
” This week , Becker has been following Gauff ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his role as a Eurosport commentator .
“ I think it ’ s very remarkable how mature she is , ” he said , “ but tennis doesn ’ t sleep .
Naomi Osaka is great .
[ Bianca ] Andreescu is great .
I think Coco , tennis-wise , isn ’ t as good as these players yet .
“ We should be careful of over-talking and over-hyping a 15-year-old American who has won a few matches , ” added Becker .
“ I think she is an exceptional talent .
She @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But we have got to give her the time to mature and develop in a natural way , otherwise by 22 she is burned out .
There are many examples of young , successful female players that have pushed themselves too hard at an early age and then fizzled out at the end.
” Jennifer Capriati is the ultimate example of the teen tennis star who became an icon before she had even won anything significant .
Capriati found her early fame profoundly destabilising , and although she eventually came good in her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ afterward and has never seemed comfortable in her skin

Boris Becker has warned against hyping up 15-year-old phenomenon Coco Gauff, who plays the defending Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka in the headline match on Friday on Rod Laver Arena.
Becker knows whereof he speaks, having won Wimbledon at 17 and faced overwhelming expectations thereafter. When he eventually lost a match at the All England Club, two years later, he jolted a roomful of shocked journalists back to reality with his most famous quote: “I lost a tennis match. Nobody died.”
This week, Becker has been following Gauff’s run to the third round in his role as a Eurosport commentator. “I think it’s very remarkable how mature she is,” he said, “but tennis doesn’t sleep. Naomi Osaka is great. [Bianca] Andreescu is great. I think Coco, tennis-wise, isn’t as good as these players yet.
“We should be careful of over-talking and over-hyping a 15-year-old American who has won a few matches,” added Becker. “I think she is an exceptional talent. She will be there in the future. But we have got to give her the time to mature and develop in a natural way, otherwise by 22 she is burned out. There are many examples of young, successful female players that have pushed themselves too hard at an early age and then fizzled out at the end.”


thetelegraph--2020-01-23--Bryson DeChambeau posts opening-round 70 in Omega Dubai Desert Classic title defence

Bryson DeChambeau believes he will possess a `` scary combo '' of distance and accuracy if he can get the latter under control after starting the defence of his Omega Dubai Desert Classic title with an opening 70 .
DeChambeau carded a winning total of 24 under par as he cruised to a seven-shot victory last year , but a repeat of such scoring appears unlikely at a venue boasting narrower fairways and thicker rough .
Only 29 players in the 132-strong field at Emirates Golf Club managed to break par , with Belgium 's Thomas Pieters leading the way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one-shot lead over American David Lipsky .
England 's Eddie Pepperell was part of a 12-man group on three under , with DeChambeau a stroke further back following a round containing four birdies and two bogeys .
`` It 's playing at least four shots harder a day ( than last year ) if it was to stay like this , no doubt , '' the world number 17 told Sky Sports .
`` The fairways are tightened up .
It 's a very , very good test of golf and you have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on and your iron play out of the rough is on because you 're going to be in there .

Bryson DeChambeau believes he will possess a "scary combo" of distance and accuracy if he can get the latter under control after starting the defence of his Omega Dubai Desert Classic title with an opening 70.
DeChambeau carded a winning total of 24 under par as he cruised to a seven-shot victory last year, but a repeat of such scoring appears unlikely at a venue boasting narrower fairways and thicker rough.
Only 29 players in the 132-strong field at Emirates Golf Club managed to break par, with Belgium's Thomas Pieters leading the way with a five-under-par 67 to hold a one-shot lead over American David Lipsky.
England's Eddie Pepperell was part of a 12-man group on three under, with DeChambeau a stroke further back following a round containing four birdies and two bogeys.
"It's playing at least four shots harder a day (than last year) if it was to stay like this, no doubt," the world number 17 told Sky Sports. "The fairways are tightened up. It's a very, very good test of golf and you have to make sure your wedge game is on and your iron play out of the rough is on because you're going to be in there.


thetelegraph--2020-01-23--Travels in Euroland with Ed Balls, episode one review: a well-intended if superficial look at contin

Travels in Euroland with Ed Balls, episode one review: a well-intended if superficial look at continental populism

Now here ’ s a peculiar thing .
Travels in Euroland with Ed Balls ( BBC Two ) was a @ @ @ @ @ on the BBC , featuring a collection of perfectly pleasant people rather than knuckle-dragging thugs @ @ @ @ @ be the balanced approach that the corporation ’ s critics have craved ?
Well .
@ @ @ @ @ off on his journey with a completely open mind .
For him , populist parties @ @ @ @ @ on to a national tradition under threat – trawler fishing in the Netherlands , which @ @ @ @ @ law , or bullfighting in southern Spain , which faces a ban on cruelty grounds @ @ @ @ @ for “ something far more nasty ” .
Like an anthropologist studying a previously undiscovered @ @ @ @ @ find out why millions are rejecting mainstream parties in favour of the Far Right .
@ @ @ @ @ to understand why they are asking for change , ” he said benevolently .

Now here’s a peculiar thing. Travels in Euroland with Ed Balls (BBC Two) was a documentary about right-wing voters, on the BBC, featuring a collection of perfectly pleasant people rather than knuckle-dragging thugs. Was this going to be the balanced approach that the corporation’s critics have craved?
Well. Balls didn’t set off on his journey with a completely open mind. For him, populist parties are conning voters by latching on to a national tradition under threat – trawler fishing in the Netherlands, which is being stymied by EU law, or bullfighting in southern Spain, which faces a ban on cruelty grounds – to secure a mandate for “something far more nasty”.
Like an anthropologist studying a previously undiscovered tribe, Balls wanted to find out why millions are rejecting mainstream parties in favour of the Far Right. “You have to listen… to understand why they are asking for change,” he said benevolently.


thetelegraph--2020-01-23--Inside the Crown: Secrets of the Royals, episode one review - the Windsors' secrets are safe in this

Inside the Crown: Secrets of the Royals, episode one review - the Windsors' secrets are safe in this stale series

You have to pity the researchers .
Just when they thought they ’ d nicely top ’ n ’ tailed this with a smiling Harry and Meghan , the couple go and leave the country – putting love before duty , some might say .
Cue hasty re-editing and a new bit of the voice-over saying something about the difficulty of balancing public and private lives .
It was a different ITV documentary , presented by Tom Bradby , that produced one of the royal scoops of the year as the Sussexes laid bare their unhappiness with palace life .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ usual suspects ( historians , royal “ experts ” ) running us through a bog-standard history of royal relationships from Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson onwards .
Colourised footage of the Queen ’ s 1947 royal wedding was a visual treat , and there were occasional snippets that raised a smile : a description of the bachelor Duke of Edinburgh as “ a big dog wanting a basket ” , and the always-excellent-value Baroness Glenconner ( will someone give this woman a series of her own ? )
recalling asking Princess Margaret which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if she had to : “ She said Sunny Blandford , so she might ’ ve had Blenheim .
”

What would be revealed by Inside the Crown: Secrets of the Royals (ITV)? The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s plan for world domination? The Duke of York’s Pizza Express receipt? Alas, its title was highly inaccurate. What we got was a stale bun of a documentary, the contents of which would only be news to you if you had just woken from a lengthy coma.
Steady yourselves, but it turns out that the Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales, were not happily married. You heard it here first. Did you have any idea that Princess Margaret was in love with a man called Peter Townsend? And you’ll never believe this: Edward VIII abdicated to be with an American divorcee! All of this and more was packed into an episode called Love and Duty.


thetelegraph--2020-01-23--Planting trees cannot offset burning wood, warn experts after government advisers recommend it as re

Planting trees cannot offset burning wood, warn experts after government advisers recommend it as renewable fuel

Burning wood from forests for energy could be worse for the climate than coal , the government has been warned , after the practice was recommended by its net zero advisory body .
The Committee on Climate Change called for subsidies to support the expansion of forest cover across the UK as part of its plan to meet its legally binding net zero target .
It said some of the forests could be used `` sustainably for combustion and carbon sequestration in the energy sector '' .
But Duncan Brack , a energy specialist at think tank Chatham House , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was `` almost certainly counterproductive '' .
`` Expanding forest cover is undoubtedly a good thing , if you 're leaving them standing , '' Mr Brack , who was special adviser at the Department of Energy and Climate Change between 2010 and 2012 .
But he warned claims that cutting down trees to create energy was carbon neutral were `` highly dubious '' .
Biomass production has boomed across Europe and America in recent years .
Last year it provided 12 per cent of the UK 's electricity , making it the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after wind .
In 2017 the British biomass industry , which is run mostly on imported wood pellets , received £1 billion in government subsidies .

Burning wood from forests for energy could be worse for the climate than coal, the government has been warned, after the practice was recommended by its net zero advisory body.
The Committee on Climate Change called for subsidies to support the expansion of forest cover across the UK as part of its plan to meet its legally binding net zero target.
It said some of the forests could be used "sustainably for combustion and carbon sequestration in the energy sector".
But Duncan Brack, a energy specialist at think tank Chatham House, said chopping down forests for renewable energy was "almost certainly counterproductive".
"Expanding forest cover is undoubtedly a good thing, if you're leaving them standing," Mr Brack, who was special adviser at the Department of Energy and Climate Change between 2010 and 2012. But he warned claims that cutting down trees to create energy was carbon neutral were "highly dubious".
Biomass production has boomed across Europe and America in recent years. Last year it provided 12 per cent of the UK's electricity, making it the second most successful source of renewable energy after wind. In 2017 the British biomass industry, which is run mostly on imported wood pellets, received £1 billion in government subsidies.


thetelegraph--2020-01-23--China has quarantined 20 million to contain the coronavirus – but it could be too late

The announcement of public transport shutdowns in three Chinese cities to quarantine nearly 20 million people underscores the seriousness with @ @ @ @ @ taking the novel coronavirus outbreak .
Quarantine of infectious diseases has been used for hundreds @ @ @ @ @ office window in Liverpool , I can see the spot on the River Mersey where @ @ @ @ @ ships were kept for 40 days to ensure they would not bring deadly plague , @ @ @ @ @ the city .
And a few hundred miles from here in Derbyshire is the famous @ @ @ @ @ 1665 quarantined itself to prevent the spread of the plague In recent years quarantine has @ @ @ @ @ because of the impact on civil liberties .
Quarantine is governed by the application of @ @ @ @ @ ensure that there are no alternatives .
Restriction should be carried out in accordance with @ @ @ @ @ in the interest of a legitimate objective ; be strictly necessary ; be based on @ @ @ @ @ be a last resort .

Already the coronavirus has spread to many other Chinese provinces, and there are estimated to be thousands of undiagnosed cases across the country
Credit : Qilai Shen /Bloomberg


thetelegraph--2020-01-23--Nato's purchase of five drones is 'first concrete sign' of moving away from US

The RQ-4D is designed to look for moving objects over large areas of the ground and sea .
It has very sophisticated surveillance capabilities , such as signals intelligence , radars and a defensive-aid suite .
Mr Bronk says the aircraft , which are unarmed , will be tasked to track Russian movements in the Eastern Meditteranean as well as migration and smuggling from North Africa ; a great concern to the southern member states of the 29-nation alliance .
A spokesperson for Nato denied the purchase of the drones meant Nato was becoming its own army , saying it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ brings and keeps allies together ” .
“ Nato doesn ’ t aspire to be all things to all men , '' Oana Lungescu told the Telegraph , adding the alliance prefers to focus on “ key enablers ” like command and control systems and surveillance assets , as not all members have the full suite of capabilities .
She said Nato is an inter-governmental organisation where all decisions are taken by consensus and the purchase does not indicate the alliance is seeking to become a military entity in its own right .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ America and Europe to sit down , decide and act , on areas of common security interest , '' she said .
The aim is not for Nato to replace any of the allies , “ because the allies are Nato ” .
The drone purchase came after the paucity of airborne surveillance assets available to the military alliance became obvious in the Libyan campaign in 2011 .
A decision was taken at the 2012 Nato summit in Chicago to buy the Phoenix aircraft .
The drones were paid for from the Nato @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for projects of use to all member states .
At around two billion euros a year , it is less than one per cent of the defence spending of all the allies .
About half of that goes on infrastructure such as airfields or the $ 260 million investment in Powidz , Poland ; a forward base for American armoured vehicles , to be used in the event of a confrontation with Russia .
What remains of the budget can be spent on equipment to be shared by the alliance .
“ This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would buy you the full spectrum of capabilities ... that an ally like the United States can provide , ” Ms Lungescu says .
The aircraft based at Sigonella had flown 22 hours non-stop from California ( they have the ability to fly for up to 30 hours ) .
The remaining three are due to arrive by the end of 2020 , with an initial operating capability of one aircraft available for tasking expected to be announced this summer .

Nato’s purchase of five surveillance drones is “the first concrete sign” the military alliance is moving away from its dependency on the US, a security expert has said.
The new aircraft, unveiled by Nato Secretary General at a ceremony last week in Sigonella air base, Italy, are designed to look for moving objects over large areas of the ground and sea.
They will initially be used to track Russian movements in the Eastern Mediterranean as well as migrants crossing from North Africa.
Designated the RQ-4D Phoenix by Nato, the drones are a version of the US Global Hawk aircraft, one of which was shot down by Iran last year in the Gulf.
Justin Bronk from the Royal United Services Institute says the purchase is “quite a significant acquisition” and a “big departure” for the alliance, although he lamented the time it had taken.
“It is the first concrete sign of Nato taking serious steps to make a dent in the enormous dependency the alliance has on the US,” he said.
“What normally happens is most [alliance members] turn up with some fast jets, maybe [an air to air refuelling] tanker, and the Americans have to do all the target finding, classification, intelligence processing, battle-damage assessment, command and control and so on.”


thetelegraph--2020-01-23--Sussex becomes first council to ban fishing along coast to cut greenhouse emissions following Attenb

Sussex becomes first council to ban fishing along coast to cut greenhouse emissions following Attenborough-backed campaign

Trawling has been banned along a 304 km2 stretch of Sussex coast after a campaign to save its kelp forests @ @ @ @ @ Attenborough .
Sussex Council on Thursday passed a bylaw prohibiting trawling year-round to protect the @ @ @ @ @ up massive amounts of planet-warming carbon , in what campaigners said was the first law @ @ @ @ @ cut greenhouse gas emissions .
The bylaw will now be passed to Theresa Villiers to @ @ @ @ @ Help Our Kelp campaign , the UK 's first seaweed rewilding initiative , was backed @ @ @ @ @ the forests , which once stretched along 40km from Selsey to Shoreham , and extended @ @ @ @ @ But the vast majority have been lost over the last 40 years due to storm @ @ @ @ @ dumping sediment soils in the seas .

Trawling has been banned along a 304 km2 stretch of Sussex coast after a campaign to save its kelp forests, backed by Sir David Attenborough.
Sussex Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority on Thursday passed a bylaw prohibiting trawling year-round to protect the underwater forest, which sucks up massive amounts of planet-warming carbon, in what campaigners said was the first law of its kind to help cut greenhouse gas emissions.
The bylaw will now be passed to Theresa Villiers to sign off on.
The Help Our Kelp campaign, the UK's first seaweed rewilding initiative, was backed by 2,500 people to protect the forests, which once stretched along 40km from Selsey to Shoreham, and extended 4km into the sea.
But the vast majority have been lost over the last 40 years due to storm damage, and dredging boats dumping sediment soils in the seas.