The main stories

What happened

Security after Brussels

What the editorials said

Wed better steel ourselves for more atrocities of this sort, said
The Economist; they are likely to become the new normal
in Europes major cities. That ISIL could
Following the terrorist attacks in Brussels last
mount synchonised bombings in the heart
week, the European Commission President
of Europe, days after the arrest of Salah
Jean-Claude Juncker said that Europe was in
Abdeslam, a chief suspect in the Paris
need of a security union to combat the
bombings, and despite 18 suspected
fast changing terrorist threat in the
terrorists across six European countries
continent. Meanwhile, there has been
being under arrest for their suspected role
mounting criticism of the security services
in that attack, is a clear indicator of what a
within individual EU countries. In Brussels
resilient and well-supported organisation
the heart of the Union the only suspect to
it is. Abdeslam had been hiding for several
be detained in connection with the attack
months in Brussels Molenbeek district, just
on Brussels was released on Monday. Fayal
The airport bombers in Brussels
streets away from his home, shielded by
Cheffou, a self-styled journalist, had been
sympathetic friends and neighbours people who may not
identified as the man in the hat one of three men seen in
have been willing to dip their own hands in their compatriots
CCTV footage taken at Brussels airport minutes before the
blood, but were prepared to endorse his methods. ISILs
bombings. Two of the men, Ibrahim el-Bakraoui and Najim
continuing ability to recruit local terrorists is not in doubt.
Laachraoui, blew themselves up in the airports departure
lounge; the third, whose explosive-packed trolley was safely
French Prime Minister Manuel Valls has characterised the
detonated by security officials, fled the scene. A fourth man
Brussels attacks as a battle in the war engulfing Europe, said
Khalid el-Bakraoui, the brother of Ibrahim and, like him, a
The Guardian. And France itself is under a state of emergency
petty criminal known to police blew himself up on the Metro.
which grants the police sweeping powers of search and arrest.
In total, 35 people were killed. Mohamed Abrini, who is
But to speak of a war in Europe is wrong and dangerous:
also believed to have been involved in attacks on Paris last
it hands ISIL the propaganda victory it craves and places undue
November, is now suspected of being the man in the hat.
strain on Europes democratic fabric during peacetime. The
Several links between the Paris and Brussels atrocities have
killers in Brussels werent soldiers: they were simply terrorists.
also emerged.

What happened

The playground bombing

At least 72 people were killed and some
300 injured in a suicide bomb attack aimed
at Christians celebrating Easter in Lahore, the
capital of Pakistans Punjab province. The
bomb, packed with ball bearings, ripped
through crowds at a weekend funfair in
one of the citys largest parks. Exploding
close to a busy playground, it killed at least
29 children. Responsibility for the attack was
claimed by a Taliban splinter group, Jamaatul-Ahrar, which said it had deliberately
targeted the countrys Christian minority.
However, most of the dead were Muslim.

SOURCE: BELGIAN FEDERAL POLICE

4 NEWS

What the editorials said

This is just one more horrifying example of the intensifying
terrorism that has plagued Pakistan for 20 years, said The
Times. At least 12 militant Islamist groups
now compete to show themselves the most
brutally committed: in the past 15 months
they have killed nearly 500 people. Their aim?
To render Pakistan generally ungovernable.
And there is every reason to be alarmed by
that threat. A nuclear-armed nation crucial to
the security of South Asia today stands on
the brink of becoming a failed state.

It wasnt all bad

When an Australian woman

picked a sperm donor, all she
One of the worlds rarest
knew was that he was a happy
mammals, the Sumatran rhino,
and healthy farmer. What she
has been encountered in
didnt realise is that shed end up
Indonesian Borneo for the first
marrying him. Having lost two
time in 40 years. A female rhino
sons in infancy, Aminah Hart
was captured by conservationists
decided four years ago to try one
last month, and is due to be flown last time for a healthy baby, using
to a new sanctuary. The plan then IVF. It worked: she gave birth to a
is for more animals to join it, in
daughter, Leila. Hart then decided
the hope of starting a breeding
that shed like Leila to know
population. There are now fewer her father, and contacted donor
than 100 Sumatran rhinos in
Scott Anderson through the IVF
the wild, owing to hunting and
register. The pair met when Leila was one, and fell in love. Last week,
loss of habitat; and they were
Hart said they were very happy but warned that she wouldnt
previously thought to be extinct
advocate IVF as a dating service. That they met and liked each other
in Indonesian Borneo.
and fell in love still seems far-fetched to me, she said.

THE WEEK 3 APRIL 2016

Ashima Shiraishi is a
rockclimbing prodigy. Just a
week before her 15th birthday,
the New York City high schooler
scaled a massive boulder on
Japans Mount Hiei without
ropes or harnesses. The climb
had a difficulty rating of V15 out
of V16 about as tough as a
boulder climb can get. That
makes Shirashi not only the first
woman to complete a V15 but
also the youngest person male
or female to ever do so.
Ashima is unstoppable right
now, says Angie Payne, a top
US climber. I dont see that
slowing down anytime soon.

DEMI LEE PHOTOGRAPHY

The best hope is that the bombing will spur

the authorities into further action, said The
Guardian. When they launched a crackdown
after the Peshawar killings, for example,
A child injured in the attack
support for the extremists faded significantly.
The regional government declared three days
But though there have been military operations in many parts
of mourning, and Pakistans prime minister, Nawaz Sharif,
condemned the terrorists as a coward enemy trying for soft of the country, said the Pakistan newspaper Dawn, the governtargets. The attack was the deadliest that Pakistan had seen ment has always shied away from tackling the problem in
since the 2014 massacre of 134 schoolchildren at a military- Punjab, the second-largest province. That must change: we can
only defeat terrorism through a truly national action plan.
run academy in Peshawar.

and how they were covered

NEWS 5

What the commentators said

What next?

One thing is clear from this atrocity, said Michael Burleigh in the Daily Mail: At the centre of
the European Union, Belgiums dire intelligence services simply arent up to the job. They failed
to pass on tip-offs about the Paris attackers; they ignored a warning from Turkey, which
deported Ibrahim el-Bakraoui to the Netherlands in 2015, that he was probably a militant; and
after the bombing, it took them more than a day to discover that the terrorist they were chasing
had died in the attack. The EUs security arrangements are a terrifying shambles, said Fraser
Nelson in The Daily Telegraph. Youd have thought that by pooling intelligence, the EU would
have improved the counterterrorist response: in reality, it has proved to be a mess. Its security
database contains 90,000 fingerprints, but theres no means of searching it; member states
cant even agree on how to spell Arabic names. Whatever reasons Britain has for staying in
the EU the claim that its essential for the UKs collective security is not one of them.

Brussels airport will have

to be rebuilt from the air
conditioning to the check-in
desks, according to its CEO
Arnaud Feist, and though it
may soon resume a partial
service operating initially
at around 20% of its normal
capacity it could be months
before it reopens fully.
Meanwhile, EU officials are
due to discuss ways of
beefing up security at 800
European airports. Among
the possible proposals are
baggage screenings for all
passengers as they enter the
terminal buildings.

Thats because most European security bodies are of little consequence, said Richard Dearlove,
former head of MI6, in Prospect. The vital business of counterterrorism is largely conducted
through bilateral relationships, more often than not with Britain, which is far and away
Europes leader in intelligence and security matters. So a Brexit is unlikely to make Britain any less
safe. It might well make Britain safer, said Charles Moore in The Daily Telegraph. The doctrine of
free movement of peoples, built into the EUs constitution, prevents us from subjecting EU
citizens to the systematic checks we use on other foreigners; and the terrorists are EU citizens.
But they also tend to come from the countries they bomb, said David Aaronovitch in The
Times. The London bombers were British; the two brothers in the Brussels attack were Belgian.
To imagine that a Brexit will have any impact on the radicalisation that leads to these bombings
is a case of what Freud called magical thinking. Besides, underfunded and overstretched as
Europol, the EUs law enforcement agency, may be, it represents our one real hope of defeating
ISIL, said Niall Ferguson in The Sunday Times. Like ISIL, Europol is a kind of network. And it
takes a network, not countries acting on their own, to defeat a network.

Security is also being stepped

up at Belgiums nuclear
plants, amid growing fears
that they, too, are vulnerable
to attack. Last month several
workers were stripped of
their security passes at two
nuclear plants.

What the commentators said

What next?

The militants have sent a dangerous message to Pakistani policymakers, said Jason Burke in
The Guardian. So far, Punjab, the powerbase of Prime Minister Sharif, has been spared the
worst of terrorist violence. But Jamaat-ul-Ahrar is now clearly determined to extend its
operations beyond its heartlands the restive zone along the Afghan frontier. And their
latest attack comes at an especially sensitive moment, said Omar Waraich in The Independent.
Feelings have been running high in Pakistan over the recent execution of Mumtaz Qadri, the
former policeman convicted of the 2011 killing of Punjabs liberal governor, Salmaan Taseer.
Taseer had dared to speak out against Pakistans harsh blasphemy laws, which are often used to
persecute Christians. But many Islamists felt Taseer deserved to die for this, and 100,000 turned
out for Qadris funeral last month; others, last week, laid siege to government buildings in the
capital, Islamabad. The challenge for Sharif is to avoid capitulating to a religious mob. He
must protect the Christian minority and assert the states resolve to uphold the rule of law.

Sharif reportedly plans to

deploy paramilitary forces
in Punjab. The Rangers,
who will have special
powers to conduct raids
and interrogate subjects, are
said to have helped check
terrorism elsewhere, though
they have also been accused
of human rights abuses.

So much for the dream of Pakistans founding fathers, who sought adequate, effective and
mandatory safeguards for minorities, said Fatima Bhutto in the FT. Instead, we have a country
fractured along religious and sectarian lines, where 2.5 million Christians are victims of the
cycle of butchery. Alas, they are far from alone, said John L. Allen Jr on his Spectator blog.
Christians now rank as by far the most persecuted religious body on the planet. One recent
study estimated that 100,000 a year have been killed over the last decade for reasons related
to their faith. Yet their fate goes largely unreported, mainly because Christians are still often
seen as the oppressor rather than the oppressed. The plight of an entire new generation of
Christians may be the greatest story never told of the early 21st century.

THE WEEK

European
security services
are facing fresh
criticism, following the terrorist attacks in Brussels
last week, just four months after the terror attacks
in Paris. In this weeks issue, we examine European
security in the aftermath of the recent bombings.
Meanwhile, Pakistan faced one of the worst
terrorist attacks in recent years, when a bomb was
planted near a childrens playground in Lahore, the
capital of the countrys Punjab province, killing 72
people including 29 children. The attack by a Taliban
splinter group was allegedly aimed at killing
Christians as they celebrated Easter Sunday. Could the atrocities push Pakistans authorities to
take greater measures against militant groups? (see Main stories, above).
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Tensions are likely to rise

yet further this month as
Islamists step up pressure
for the execution of Asia
Bibi, a Christian woman
condemned to death for
blasphemy. Bibi was
convicted of insulting the
Prophet Mohammed (PBUH)
in 2010, and has been on
death row ever since.

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3 APRIL 2016 THE WEEK

6 NEWS

Controversy of the week

ISIL: Their criminal, disaffected recruits

ISILs attacks have a clear
goal, said The Times: once
intended to divert
attention from battlefield
losses, they are now about
splitting the alliance,
engendering fear and
mistrust, and exposing
Western ineffectiveness.
ISIL terror cells in Europe
and North Africa
increasingly resemble the
vanguard of a military
offensive. They are building
up caches of weapons
Bombs and suicide vests are
being made in European
back rooms. And thousands of radicalised people
are travelling to Syria and Iraq, to train in their
camps, before returning, battle-hardened, to their
homes in Europe and North Africa. The fight
against radicalisation thus has to be fought at
home and abroad.
Yet we should be wary of crediting every attack
to ISIL, because doing so tends to infuse the
group with power that it does not have, said
Kurt Eichenwald in Newsweek. The perpetrators
of the recent attacks in Europe are not like the
al-Qaeda members of old. These younger recruits
have grown up watching wars in Afghanistan,
Iraq and Syria and they often know little about
Islam: in 2014, two British recruits, both 22,
bought copies of The Quran for Dummies, and
Islam for Dummies, before boarding a plane to
join ISIL in Syria. What lures them into ISILs
brutal culture? The answer which would be
laughable were it not so deadly is peer
pressure and what might be called Rambo-envy.

Only in the UAE

A woman has lodged a
police complaint against
her husband after his
sisters removed her from
the family WhatsApp group,
reported Emirates 247. The
family row allegedly began
when the sisters took issue
with the wifes offensive
comments and excluded
her from their group. Things
escalated when the scorned
wife attempted to confront
the sisters-in-law and was
allegedly verbally abused
by them, said Major
Shaheen Al Mazmi of
Dubai Police. In anger
the wife reportedly filed
the complaint against
her husband, objecting to
him apparently supporting
his sisters over her, while
asking for protection
from the women.Major
Al Mazmi said that a
reconciliation session
will be held between the
family members.

THE WEEK 3 APRIL 2016

Interviews with
European returnees
suggest that 20% have
some kind of mental
illness; many have been
convicted of crimes;
most come from urban
neighbourhoods torn
apart by economic
hardship. When they
join ISIL, theyre doing
what disaffected urban
youth all over the world
do: theyre joining a
gang, in a search for
glory, camaraderie and
excitement. These
terrorists dont mix with imams in mosques; their
networks are made up of friends and relatives,
people theyve met in prison, or on street corners;
and theyre not being directed by ISIL masterminds
in Syria, theyre running their own operations, in
small cells. Theyre criminals, albeit unusually
nihilistic ones, and should be pursued as such.
We know little of what goes on in the territories
ISIL controls, said Wood, because these are
closed kingdoms, but we gather from its own
statements that it rejects peace, as a matter of
principle; that it hungers for genocide; and that
it considers itself a harbinger of the imminent
end of the world. Sooner or later, ISILs
excessive zeal may prove its undoing; and if it
continues to be pushed back in Syria, it may start
to collapse, as its caliphate shrinks. The West
could hasten that self-immolation, but that
will require us to understand what motivates
ISIL; if we do not, we may, through our actions,
inadvertently strengthen it.

Good week for:

Penguin lovers, or just anyone who needs a big dose of cute, as
a quartet of baby Gentoo chicks hatched at Ski Dubai last week.
Slope officials have named them Litmit, Apple, Pecan and Peter.
However, as the latters gender is still awaiting determination,
theres a chance theyll have to change it. Perhaps Petrina,
suggested Whats On Dubai.
Positive discrimination, as Saudi Arabia ordered foreign firms
to employ at least 75% Saudi nationals. The new ruling is
the result of changes to overseas investment regulations in the
country. The Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority says
the new rule is aimed at strengthening the economy and has
given companies two years to implement the changes.

Bad week for:

Phone addicts, who are to be banned from using their handsfree smartphones while driving in the UAE, says Gulf News.
A minister said the ban would extend to Bluetooth-enabled and
earphone calls while a vehicle is on the move, alongside smart
watches and Google Glass.
The Cambridge University womens Boat Race crew, whose
boat almost sank in apocalyptic weather conditions during
a race against Oxford University. Although the Cambridge team
and their boat survived the annual race in the River Thames,
they could not keep up with their archrivals, with Oxford sailing
home victorious for the fourth year running.

Boring but important

Petrol
prices in
the UAE
will rise by
more than
10% this
month,
making it the first rise in eight
months, the Ministry of
Energy revealed last week.
The cost of Super 98 fuel will
increase 10.2% to $0.44 per
litre in April, while Diesel will
also increase 11.4% to $0.42
per litre. This month Brent
crude has risen from around
$36 a barrel to more than $40.
The price increase follows
seven consecutive months
of decline, linked to plunging
global oil prices, which has
put pressure on many of the
oil-rich government budgets
in the Middle East. The UAE
first announced plans to
deregulate fuel prices in July
2015 together with a new
pricing policy linked to
international rates, said Gulf
Business. The Minister of
Energy previously said that
deregulation would benefit
the economy and also
encourage people to
re-consider their fuel
usage. Following the UAEs
announcement last year,
many regional oil-rich
countries in the Gulf,
including Saudi Arabia
Oman and Kuwait, began
re-evaluating their previously
generous fuel subsidies.

Poll watch
HSBCs former
chief executive
has joined
250 business
leaders in
pushing for
the UK to leave
the European
Union. Michael Geoghegan,
who led the international
bank between 2006 until
2010, has sided with other
senior business figures in
support of withdrawal.
Conversely HSBCs current
bosses argued a vote to leave
would push 1,000 staff from
London to Paris following the
referendum on 23 June this
year. According to a poll of
more than 1,000 SMEs,
released by Vote Leave, only
14% believe the EU makes it
easier for their business to
employ people. However,
bosses from 36 of the FTSE
100 companies recently
wrote to The Times in support
of staying within the bloc.

Middle East at a glance

Alexandria, Egypt
Lovesick plane hijacker: A lovesick man
who hijacked a plane in a bid to win back
his ex-wife was branded an idiot by
Egyptian authorities. Seif El Din Mustafa,
59, forced EgyptAir Flight MS181 to
divert from Cairo to Cyprus after boarding
in Alexandria. He later produced a letter
and asked that it be delivered to his Cypriot
former spouse. Upon landing in Larnaca,
Mustafas suicide belt was established to be
fake and he surrendered to authorities. He has since been detained in a secure hospital.
Eighty-one people, including 15 crew members, were aboard the Airbus 320. All
escaped unharmed. While a senior Cypriot official said Mustafa appeared psychologically
unstable, staff at Egypts Ministry of Foreign Affairs were less tactful. Hes not a
terrorist, hes an idiot, a representative said. Terrorists are crazy, but they arent
stupid. This guy is.

Cairo, Egypt
Regeni gang killed: The
Egyptian authorities claimed last
week it had found and killed a
criminal gang which it claims was
responsible for murdering and
torturing the Italian student Giulio
Regeni, who was studying for a PhD
at Cambridge. Regeni, who had written
articles critical of Egypts military
government, disappeared on 25
January, the anniversary of the 2011
uprising; it is widely believed that he
was abducted by the Egyptian security
services, who tortured him for a week
or more, and then murdered him. Last
week the interior ministry in Cairo
said security forces had killed five
members of a criminal gang which
had specialised in impersonating
police officers, kidnapping foreigners
and forcibly robbing them and that
they had found Regenis passport in
the gangs possession. Italian politicians
have described the Egyptian accounts
as ridiculous and offensive,
a mockery and a farce.

NEWS 7

Ankara, Turkey
Secret trial for journalists: The trial of
two leading Turkish journalists a case
seen as the latest assault on press freedom
by President Erdoan is to be held in
secret, after a court accepted the
prosecutors argument that it concerned
state secrets. Can Dundar and Erdem Gl,
the editor and Ankara correspondent of
Cumhuriyet, the oldest upmarket daily
paper in Turkey, were arrested in
November after Erdoan complained
about a front-page story alleging the
Turkish state was shipping weapons to
Islamist rebels in Syria. The pair spent 92
days in prison awaiting trial on espionage
charges, but were released on bail last
month when a court ruled their rights
had been violated. The closed-door trial
is due to begin on 1 April.

Palmyra, Syria
Ancient city retaken: ISIL fighters were
driven out of the ancient city of
Palmyra last Saturday by Assad
regime forces backed by Russian air
power. ISIL had held the city since
May 2015, and destroyed several of its
most iconic ancient buildings while in
control of it; the citys recapture by Syrian
government forces is a major reversal for
the self-declared caliphate. Initial reports
suggest the overall level of destruction at
Palmyra at the hands of ISIL is not as great
as had been feared; experts are now
assessing the damage.

Baghdad, Iraq
Terror bombing: ISIL claimed responsibility
for a suicide bombing that killed 22 people in
the Iraqi capitals Tayaran Square. The blast
happened on Tuesday morning as supporters
of influential Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr
staged a sit-in, less than one kilometre away,
to demand political reforms. A separate
suicide bombing killed 41 people and
injured 105 at an amateur football match
last Friday. The attack, also carried out by
ISIL, happened at a small stadium in the
village of Iskandariya, just south of
Baghdad. Earlier in March, at least 60
people died in Hillah, central Iraq, when
a fuel tanker packed with explosives
slammed into a security checkpoint.

Abu Dhabi, UAE

Extremists sentenced: Ten members of a
terrorist group that planned to bomb malls
and hotels in Dubai were jailed for life.
Khalid Abdulla Kalantar considered
himself a caliph and preached extremist
ideology at the emirates Al Manara
Mosque. He was one of 41 men sentenced
for involvement in the group, Shabab Al
Manara, at the UAEs Federal Supreme
Court last Sunday. Kalantar groomed and
recruited young social outcasts with
criminal records. During interrogation,
members said they had been influenced
by the late al-Qaeda leader Osama bin
Laden. All confessed to joining Shabab
Al Manara and planning to use terrorism
to undermine the Government, but only
two pleaded guilty in court. Sentencing
the men, Judge Mohammed Al Jarrah
Al Tunaiji said: Terrorism is one of the
gravest of crimes. It uses religion as a
pretext to achieve its goals.
3 APRIL 2016 THE WEEK

8 NEWS

Europe at a glance

Dublin, Ireland
Easter Rising remembered: Hundreds of
thousands of people lined the streets of Dublin
last Sunday for a military parade the largest in
the Republic of Irelands history marking the
centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising. The
insurrection lasted only six days, and failed to
end colonial rule, but its bloody suppression
galvanised nationalist sentiment and paved the
way for the war of independence, in 1919, and
the establishment of the Irish Free State, in 1922.
The insurrection began on 24 April 1916 Easter Monday when Patrick Pearse,
the leader of one of three rebel groups involved, proclaimed independence on the steps
of the General Post Office in Dublin. By the end of the week, 1,600 rebels were battling
more than 18,000 British troops; 485 people had been killed (more than half of them
civilians) and much of the city centre reduced to rubble. Hopelessly outnumbered,
Pearse surrendered. In the next few weeks, 3,400 people were arrested, and 14 rebels,
including Pearse and James Connolly, were executed at Kilmainham Gaol, where Irish
President Michael Higgins laid a wreath last Sunday on behalf of the people of
Ireland in honour of all those who died rebels, civilians and British soldiers.

London, UK
Rescue migrant kids: A former child
refugee who was saved from the Nazis by
Britains Kindertransport programme is
urging the UK to take in unaccompanied
migrant children, mostly Muslims, stuck in
makeshift tent camps in France. Lord Alf
Dubs, a Jewish Labour member who was
transported from Prague to London at age
six, pushed a bill through the House of
Lords last week to allow in 3,000 children;
the bill still needs to go to the House of
Commons, where it faces opposition from
the Conservative government. I owe it to
Britain and to the children to do as
much as I can to get this provision into the
law, Dubs said. Labour parliamentarian
Yvette Cooper warned that children in the
camps were being recruited by pimps and
drug gangs into modern slavery.

Brussels, Belgium
Nazis disrupt vigil: Hundreds of
black-clad protesters, some of them giving
Nazi salutes, stormed a candle-lit vigil in
memory of the Brussels bombings on
Sunday. Around 450 demonstrators,
many of them drunk, invaded the
commemoration in the citys Place de la
Bourse, shouting anti-immigrant slogans,
and harassing immigrants in the crowd,
until the mourners fled. They then squared
up to riot police, who drove them back
with tear gas and water cannons. We
want answers from the government. There
are too many fanatics in this country, said
one protester, who said he was a
hooligan from Ghent. We dont believe
in candles and flowers. Brussels mayor
Yvan Mayeur said the chaotic scenes were
disgraceful, and complained that police
and government had failed to act on
warnings that such a show of force was
imminent. Separately, a planned March
Against Fear had to be called off after
police said they were too stretched to
protect it.
Paris, France
Blow to Sarkozy:
Nicolas Sarkozys
hopes of returning
to the lyse
Palace suffered a
potentially fatal
blow last week
when a court
cleared the way
for the former
president to stand
trial on corruption charges relating to illegal campaign
donations. Sarkozy (pictured), who already
faces a tough challenge in winning his
partys 2017 nomination Alain Jupp is
the current front runner had hoped that
the Cour de Cassation would rule that
wiretapped evidence in the case was illegal
and inadmissible. Instead, it ruled that
investigators had done nothing wrong.
Sarkozy may now face trial later this year.
THE WEEK 3 APRIL 2016

Vatican City, Vatican

Weapons of love: Pope Francis has urged
Christians to counter the blind and brutal
violence of terror attacks with the
weapons of love and condemned those
who fail to help refugees from the wars
and terror wracking the Middle East and
elsewhere. All too often, these brothers
and sisters of ours meet along the way
with death or, in any event, rejection by
those who could offer them welcome and
assistance, he said, in his Easter Urbi et
Orbi (to the city and the world) address
from St Peters Square. Separately,
concerns were raised about the health of
the octogenerian Pope Benedict XVI. The
Pope Emeritus resigned in 2013, saying he
didnt feel he had the strength of mind
and body to fulfil his duties; he now lives
in a former convent in the Vatican. He
turns 89 in April: he is like a candle
which is slowly, serenely fading, said
Archbishop Georg Gnswein.

Lesbos, Greece
Detention camps: Officials on the Greek
islands of Lesbos and Chios say they are
facing a major humanitarian and public
order crisis, owing to NGOs closing their
projects on the islands. Five organisations,
including the UNHCR, Mdicins Sans
Frontires (MSF) and Save the Children,
suspended Greek operations last week in
protest at the EUs deal with Ankara:
under its terms, asylum seekers arriving on
Greek shores are to be sent back to Turkey;
in exchange for every Syrian returned, the
EU will take a Syrian refugee from a camp
in Turkey. The deal was supposed to stem
the tide of migrants, but thousands have
continued to arrive: rather than being
allowed to continue their journeys, they
are being locked into makeshift detention
camps. MSF said it objected to the way
they were being prevented from seeking
asylum in the EU, and the conditions in
which they are being held.

10 NEWS

The world at a glance

Washington, DC
Republicans get ugly: The
increasingly acrimonious
contest between Donald
Trump and Ted Cruz became
yet more personal last week,
as the Republican front
runners traded insults over
each others wives and private
lives. The latest round of hostilities kicked off when a pro-Cruz
super PAC produced a campaign ad featuring a nude photo of
Trumps wife, Melania. Taken when she worked as a model, it
bore the words: Meet Melania Trump. Your next First Lady. In
retaliation, Trump threatened to spill the beans on Cruzs wife,
Heidi, and retweeted a picture of her scowling alongside a picture
of his own wife. Cruz denied having anything to do with the
PACs advert, and branded Trump a snivelling coward for
going after his wife. He also accused the mogul of being
behind a National Enquirer story implying that he,
Cruz, has had several extramarital affairs.
In the less heated Democrat race, Bernie Sanders
regained momentum with big wins in Washington,
Alaska, Idaho, Utah and Hawaii. His victories knocked Hillary
Clintons pledged-delegate lead to around 270, despite her own
solid win in Arizona. A Sanders nomination remains more than
possible. However, it would depend on him performing strongly
in some affluent states which, judging by her record elsewhere in
the contest, are more likely to go to Clinton.

Washington, DC
Nixons war: Americas war on drugs was launched to enable
the Nixon administration to target its political enemies, according
to a newly published interview with a key Nixon aide. John
Ehrlichman allegedly made the claims five years before his death
in 1999, to journalist Dan Baum. However, Baum only published
them this week. The Nixon campaign in 1968, and the Nixon
White House after that, had two enemies: the anti-war Left and
black people, he quotes Ehrlichman as saying. We knew we
couldnt make it illegal to be either against the war or black, but
by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and
blacks with heroin, and then criminalising both heavily, we could
disrupt those communities. We could arrest their leaders, raid their
homes and vilify them night after night on the evening news.
Did we know we were lying about the drugs? Of course we did.

Los Angeles, California

Stewardess makes a run for it: An air stewardess randomly
chosen for a security search at Los Angeles airport ran off,
abandoning bags containing 68lb of illegal substances with a
street value of up to $3m, investigators have revealed. A former
runner-up in a Miss Jamaica beauty contest, Marsha Gay
Reynolds was wearing her known crew member badge when
she was selected for a bag search last month. But as security staff
guided her to the search area, she dropped her bags, kicked off
her Gucci high heels, and sprinted barefoot down an up escalator
and fled the airport; a day later, she got on a flight operated by her
own airline, the budget carrier JetBlue. Reynolds handed herself in
to police at JFK airport in New York last week.
Havana, Cuba
Fidel lashes out at Obama: Fidel Castro
conspicuous by his absence during
Barack Obamas visit to Cuba last
week has now made his views on the
historic fence-mending trip clear in a
scornful article for Granma, a state-run
newspaper. The former president
(pictured), 89, reminded readers of the US long history of
aggression against the communist state, insisted that we dont
need the empire to give us anything, and said Brother
Obamas warm words were so honey-coated, they risked
giving Cubans a heart attack. Some recent opinion polls have
indicated that Obama is now more popular in Cuba than either
Fidel or his brother and successor, Ral.
Braslia, Brazil
Rousseff isolated: Brazils President Dilma Rousseff suffered a
potentially crippling blow this week when the countrys biggest
party, the centrist PMDB, decided to leave her fragile ruling
coalition vastly increasing the odds of her being impeached by
Brazils Congress within weeks. If Rousseff were to be suspended and
impeached, her place would be taken by the vice-president, the
PMDBs leader Michel Temer. Rousseff, a one-time Marxist guerrilla,
has been contending with an economic crisis, the Petrobras corruption
scandal, which has engulfed several senior figures in her Workers
Party, and a massive fall in public support. The potential impeachment
charges relate to claims that she manipulated government accounts to
aid her re-election in 2014 (see Best international, page 21) .
THE WEEK 3 APRIL 2016

Buenos Aires, Argentina

US regret: As he continued his tour of
Latin America last week, President
Obama visited a memorial to the victims
of Argentinas Dirty War and expressed regret for the role
Washington played in that conflict. The United States, when it
reflects on what happened here, has to examine its own policies
as well, and its own past, he said. Obama was careful not to go
into any details about what Washingtons role might have been,
but conceded that the US had been too slow to condemn the
rights abuses committed by the military regime that overthrew
Argentinas democratically elected government 40 years ago, on
24 March 1976. The junta, which ruled until 1983, murdered or
disappeared tens of thousands of its opponents and critics.

The world at a glance

Brazzaville, Congo
Presidents flawed victory: The veteran
president of the Republic of the Congo
in power for 32 years has secured a
new five-year term following elections
which the opposition claimed were
marked by massive fraud. Former
paratrooper Denis Sassou Nguesso, 72,
won 60% of the vote in the tense poll.
The oil and timber-rich country has
been on edge since October, when
Sassou Nguesso won a controversial
constitutional referendum to allow him
to stand for another term. The EU had
declined to send observers to the election
on the grounds that conditions for a fair
and transparent vote had not been
met; and after the poll held during a
media blackout there were protests
about the result.

Pyongyang,
North Korea
Famine coming: A
month after the UN
imposed sweeping new
sanctions on North
Korea over its recent
nuclear tests, North
Korean state media is
warning that the
country could fall into
famine. Another arduous march, when we
would be forced to eat grass, could come
about, and we are left in isolation to fight
against the enemy, declared state newspaper
Rodong Sinmun. The 1995-98 famine killed
millions when North Korea diverted food to
the army and the people starved to death.
The same day as the famine warning, state
media showed photos of dictator Kim Jong
Un and his wife touring luxury shops.

NEWS 11

Tokyo, Japan
Grey crime wave: Japans grey crime
is intensifying, with crimes committed
by over-65s now outstripping those
committed by youngsters aged between 14
and 19, according to police figures. In one
recent headline-grabbing case, an 83-yearold woman suspected of multiple offences
was caught pickpocketing at a station in
Tokyo. Some 35% of shoplifting offences
are committed by over-60s up from 20%
in 2001. There has been speculation that
the rise is related to changes in traditional
family structures. Older people who would
once have lived with their families are now
coping alone, on meagre pensions: its
possible some may find being cared for in
prison a better option. The proportion of
violent crimes committed by over-65s is
also rising: it increased by almost 11%
in the first half of 2015.

Pyongyang, North Korea

Vultures shun North:
Eurasian black vultures
are no longer bothering
to stop in North Korea
during their annual
migration south from
their Mongolian breeding
grounds. According to
scientists from South
Koreas Ecology
Environment Institute,
who track their migratory
routes, this seems to
happen because in North
Korea, the vultures can
barely find animal corpses,
which are major food
resources for them.

Luanda, Angola
Rapper jailed:
Angolan rapper
Luaty Beiro
and 16 other
dissidents have
been sentenced to
two to eight years in
prison for allegedly
trying to overthrow
the government. The charges stem from a
book club meeting last year, at which Beiro
and some friends discussed American
scholar Gene Sharps 1993 book on
nonviolent resistance, From Dictatorship to
Democracy. Beiro, 34, who performs under
the name Ikonoklasta, is an outspoken critic
of Angolas government and has called for a
fairer distribution of the countrys oil
wealth. Amnesty International called the
sentences an affront to justice and the
Anonymous hacking collective shut down
about 20 Angolan government websites in
retaliation. President Jos Eduardo dos
Santos has ruled the former Portuguese
colony as a dictator since 1979.

Beijing, China
Who wrote that
letter? Chinese
authorities have
detained and
questioned more than
a dozen people in an
effort to discover who
wrote a letter calling
for President Xi
Jinping to resign.
The letter, which first appeared on an
overseas Chinese-language human rights
site and was then republished on the
China-based Wujie News site accuses Xi
of centralising power in himself, personally
directing economic and foreign policy, and
bypassing other Communist Party bigwigs.
Zhang Ping, a Chinese human rights
activist living in Germany, said his two
brothers had been arrested in China, and
that police had ordered his distant relatives
to tell him to stop criticising the party.

Wellington, New Zealand

Flag retained: New Zealanders voted to
keep their flag complete with the Union
Jack by 57% to 43% in a referendum
last week. The rejected alternative design
still featured the four red stars representing
the Southern Cross constellation, but
instead of the Union Jack in the corner it
had a silver fern. PM John Key who had
championed the change, on the grounds
that the existing flag is too similar to
Australias, and places too much emphasis
on the countrys colonial history said he
was disappointed by the decision, but that
the whole country should embrace it.
3 APRIL 2016 THE WEEK

12 NEWS
Clarkson vs. Cohen
There is no love lost between
Jeremy Clarkson and the man
who sacked him, says Charlotte
Edwardes in The Sunday Times.
Even before Clarkson disgraced
himself by punching a producer
in the face, he was regarded
with suspicion by Danny Cohen
the politically-correct executive
who was then the BBCs director
of television. Once, Cohen
summoned Clarkson to his
office to ask if it was true that
hed named his West Highland
terrier Didier Dogba, after the
former Chelsea striker Didier
Drogba (Clarkson is a Blues
fan). I confirmed it was true.
He said, What colour is it?
And I said, Its black. And he
said, You cant call your
black dog after a black
footballer. So I said, Why
not? Would you rather I called
it John Terrier?
Dressing for the Oscars
When costume designer Jenny
Beavan accepted an Oscar in
February, wearing a fake leather
jacket from M&S, black jeans
and a pair of comfy boots, she
wasnt intending to make any
particular statement. I look
ridiculous in frocks, she told
Eva Wiseman in The Observer.
I cant wear heels my back
goes out and my feet get terribly

People
sore. And besides, I have no
interest in clothes other than
what they tell me about a
person. Im a storyteller Im
not interested in fashion. It is
just so much Cinderella stuff.
Fashion like that is just telling
one story. Catwalk models:
not only do they all walk the
same way, they all look
identical. Whereas when Im
researching something, I go
and sit in a caf and just
watch people, which is
completely fascinating.
Raising a severely
autistic son
Jem Lester, a teacher and
former journalist in the UK,
is father to a severely autistic
son. As a result of his sons
condition, the child moved
out of the family home aged
11 and into a specialist care
facility. Letting your son go
aged 11, knowing that he will
never live with you again, is
very difficult, says Lester in
The Guardian. It is something
that has informed his new
novel, Shtum, which follows
the struggle of a family
placing their severely autistic
mute child in a residential
home. Lester insists however,
that writing the novel was not
therapeutic. It wasnt
cathartic at all. Because my
story continues. My son will
be 16 soon, and Im already
thinking about where hes
going to be when hes 19.
Were going to have to
go through the same
process again to find him
somewhere. So while
the books finished, my
story goes on. Its still
real life for me.

Stefanis tumultuous year

Gwen Stefani is still recovering from the biggest shock of her
life, said Caryn Ganz in The New York Times. A year ago, the
No Doubt singer discovered a secret that would shatter her
13-year marriage with rock singer Gavin Rossdale. My life
was literally blown up into my face, says Stefani, 46. She
wont spell out the details of what she learnt, though celebrity
tabloids claim that for years Rossdale had been carrying on an
affair with the nanny the couple hired to take care of their three
sons. If I could, I would just tell you everything, and you
would just be in shock, Stefani says. Its a really good, juicy
story. Today, Stefani is building a new life with Blake Shelton,
her fellow judge on The Voice in the US, who happened to be
going through his own tumultuous marriage breakup. It was
a super unexpected gift to find somebody who happened to be
literally mirroring my experience. It saved me. Still, Stefani is
frustrated that the divorce means she only sees her children
50% of the time a result of what she calls the most unjust,
unbelievable system and her anger has yet to subside. Im
not going to say Im not still picking up the pieces, she says.
Im still in shock.

Baron Cohens cringeworthy comedy

Sacha Baron Cohen is one of the most divisive people in comedy, says John
Hiscock in The Daily Telegraph. A lot of people hate me, admits the British
star, whose cringeworthy, over-the-top characters including Ali G and the
mankini-wearing Kazakhstani journalist Borat have offended and entertained
people in equal measure. Baron Cohen knows he is walking a fine line with his
jokes at the expense of unwitting members of the public and famous people, and
riffs on sensitive subjects like AIDS and racism. With any joke which could be
perceived as mean, you always want to make sure the target is a deserving one.
There is a discussion of is it moral to do and is it ethical to do; is it too far?
Sometimes they work, and sometimes they dont. An intellectual of sorts, Baron
Cohen almost became an academic at the University of Cambridge, where he
studied history before deciding that rather than sit alone in a library, Id try to
make people laugh. He shot to fame in the US as Ali G, a character who
asked embarrassing questions of politicians like Pat Buchanan. In 2006
came Borat, a movie officially opposed by the Kazakhstan government.
Baron Cohen thinks studios would be too cowardly to make Borat
today. Theyre all owned by multinationals now and have to show
profits. I would have to change Kazakhstan to a mythical country.

THE WEEK 3 APRIL 2016

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Briefing

NEWS 15

Editing the human race

A new form gene editing technique called CRISPR may enable scientists permanently to alter the human gene pool
Huntingtons by editing out the
What is meant by gene editing?
disease-carrying gene from the DNA
Its a kind of microsurgery applied
of a foetus in the womb. And unlike
to the genes of a living cell for the
the edits done on genes found in
purpose of correcting harmful
somatic cells the ones making up
mutations. Scientists hope it could be
most the human body edits done
used to combat sickle-cell anaemia,
on genes found in egg and sperm cells
for example, a debilitating, often
are passed down through generations,
deadly disease, caused by a mutation
permanently altering the human gene
in just one of a patients three billion
pool and raising the spectre of designer
DNA base pairs. They also hope to
babies, mutants, and scientists
edit patients immune cells in such
playing God(see box). In December,
a way as to make them attack
an international group of scientists
cancers. Yet despite huge advances in
called for an immediate moratorium
the analysis of the human genome,
Scientists to make frankenbabies?
on human germline editing until
they have hitherto lacked sufficiently
CRISPRs risks have been assessed. Everything Ive learnt says were
precise gene editing tools to make much headway. Until now.
not ready to be doing this yet, said Nobel Prizewinning biologist
David Baltimore.
What has changed?
In the past three years a new generation of genetic engineering
But have scientists gone ahead?
techniques have been developed that are so quick, so cheap and
Yes. In China, a team at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou has
so easy to use theyre transforming the way gene editing is done.
attempted to modify the germline in dozens of human embryos,
The newest, simplest and least expensive of these is one called
hoping thereby to snip out a defective gene that causes a deadly
Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats, or
blood disorder. The study has caused shock waves across the
CRISPR. Developed at the University of California, Berkeley, in
scientific community and has also highlighted the practical
2012, it essentially enables scientists to snip out and splice a piece
difficulties of DNA editing in higher organisms. Of the 86 embryos
of any organisms DNA much as a film editor would cut and
used (all of which were nonviable) a mere four manifested the new
splice an old film reel.
gene designed to replace the defective one. Worse still, there were
inexplicable mutations in genes that were not targeted by the
How does CRISPR work?
researchers. The number of unintended effects is precisely why
CRISPR is actually a naturally-occurring, defence mechanism
this technique is not appropriate for use in clinical applications,
used by certain types of bacteria to protect themselves from
bioethics professor R. Alta Charo told Wired magazine.
infection by viruses. One part of this mechanism involves the
bacterium identifying the DNA of an invading virus and creating
What are scientists biggest fears?
matching sequences of that DNA within its own genome. This
The first is whether CRISPR can be used safely and without
enables it to target the virus the next time it attacks. The other
part of the mechanism is an enzyme called Cas9 which, acting like causing unintended genetic changes. Even the best geneticists
admit they have only scratched the surface in their understanding
a pair of molecular scissors, slices up the virus thus identified.
Scientists now realise that CRISPR or CRISPR/Cas9 to give it its of human DNA and the effects that CRISPR might have on a
persons 20,000 to 25,000 genes, which interact in still-mysterious
full title can be engineered to slice not just viral DNA but to
ways. The larger question, of course, is whether scientists should
target any gene within a living cell. And once the gene has been
be tinkering with the human gene pool at all. At some point,
cut out, it can be replaced with another gene (if needed) before
researchers could switch their attention from curing hereditary
the ends of the DNA are stitched neatly back together. The
diseases to editing supposedly desirable traits into a persons
entire process takes just days and costs as little as $30. In the
DNA, such as high intelligence, tall stature, or blue eyes. Great
past, it was a students entire Ph.D. thesis to change one gene,
things can be done with the power of technology and there are
says geneticist Bruce Conklin. CRISPR just knocked that
things you would not want done, said Jennifer Doudna, a Berkeley
out of the park.
biologist who co-invented CRISPR. Most of the public does not
appreciate what is coming.
And the implications of all this?
Return of the woolly mammoth?
Theyre huge. CRISPR is already
Will there be a moratorium?
being used to make certain crops
CRISPR has prompted fears that rogue scientists will
Thats unclear. The international
invulnerable to killer fungi, and to
create Frankenbabies, but researchers have been
using the technique to resurrect a completely
conference of scientists who called
create a strain of mosquitoes with
different kind of beast. In March, a team led by
for the freeze in December included
malaria-blocking genes that the
Harvard geneticist George Church announced they
authoritative figures from across the
insects passed on to 99.5% of their
had successfully copied the genes from the frozen
world. But they have no regulatory
offspring. Progress tackling diseases in
humans will take longer, but there has tissue of a woolly mammoth, a species extinct for the powers and can do nothing to stop
past 4,000 years, and pasted them into the genome
researchers in countries like China
been some preliminary success with
of an Asian elephant. The next step will be to insert
from vigorously pursuing CRISPR
experiments involving sickle-cell
those genomes into an elephant egg cell for
experiments. Doudna says she dreads
anaemia, HIV, and cystic fibrosis.
implantation. The team hopes to create a furrier
the idea of the technique being used
But the techniques most promising
elephant-mammoth hybrid that can survive in cold
temperatures, so that elephants can live comfortably
on human embryos, but given its
application is as a potential cure
outside of Asia and Africa, where their own existence potential for preventing children
for hereditary diseases. And this is
where the technique starts to become is threatened by conflict and poverty. What was once from inheriting debilitating diseases,
purely the realm of science fiction is quickly
believes that step is inevitable. As one
highly controversial.
becoming reality, says Church. First there was
of Doudnas colleagues observed at a
Jurassic Park. Now we have the exact DNA for these
recent meeting of geneticists: There
Why is this so controversial?
ancient species, and, in some cases, we have the
may come a time when, ethically,
In theory, scientists could use CRISPR
appropriate hosts that are pretty close.
we cant not do this.
to cure single-gene defects like
3 APRIL 2016 THE WEEK

16 NEWS

Best of the Arabic language articles

The Wests
lessons on
spending
Maha Al Shahri
Okaz

Arab League
should be
more active
Khalid bin Nayef Al Habas
Al-Hayat

Trump believes
more in force
than right
Sami Al Nesf
Alanba

Syria: Kurds federal

move may trigger
foreign attack
Al Watan
Oman

THE WEEK 3 APRIL 2016

Arabs in the oil-rich Gulf should learn from Westerners how to manage personal spending
by favouring product quality instead of high prices, says Maha Al Shahri, a Saudi female
columnist. Al Shahri believes that most consumers in the Gulf opt for expensive products instead
of focusing on quality, just so they can boast about how much they have spent on them. In an
article published by the Saudi daily Okaz, she says that Western consumers are not as easily
fooled by products. This is because there is no room for showing off in the Western mind.
In the Arab world, mainly in the Gulf, shops often try to sell products to consumers, mostly
women, at prices which are double the price of the product in the producing country. The
problem in the Gulf is that most Arab consumers shun cheap products, although they could be
of good quality just because they like to show off. Arabs link the product quality to its price not
to its real quality. It has become like a disease and a disgusting practice. We should learn from
Western consumers about how to manage our funds and focus on satisfying and pleasing
ourselves not the others.
The Cairo-based Arab League should
work to boost its role in the region
following speculations that it could
collapse, says Khalid bin Nayef Al
Habas, an Arab League adviser. In
the Saudi daily Al-Hayat, Al Habas
argues that two key factors influence
the performance of the Arab League.
The first of which is whether its
institutions are staffed with
experienced and skillful officials. The
second factor is the Leagues role at a
regional and international level, and
whether the League is able to fulfill the aspirations of the Arab people. In his opinion, the new
Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit, who assumes duty in July, must work with
other League officials to identify why the establishment has weakened over the past few years.
Through my work at the Arab League, I can say that the Secretary General can perform part
of the task but not all of it. He should not be blamed for the weakening of the Arab League
because it is a collective responsibility, the writer says. Finally, the Arab League must not give
up or sit idle. It must be more active so it will contribute more effectively to Arab security and
achieve Arab interests.
US presidential candidate Donald Trump believes more in using force to achieve his objectives
than in upholding what is right, says Sami Al Nesf, a Kuwaiti columnist. Trump, who triggered
worldwide controversy when he called for the banning of Muslims from entering the United
States, is trying to enforce old imperialist principles, said Al Nesf in an article published in
Kuwaits daily Alanba.What Donald Trump is marketing is not new, its old imperialist
principles, that believe force and influence are above the law. These principles had been practiced
by the British, French, Russian and the Ottoman empires as well as the Nazis and the Fascists in
Germany and Italy, he says. These principles were destroyed by the United States, the leader
of the free world, after World War I. It then formed human rights committees and helped end
colonialism and imperialism after World War II. The writer believes that Trump may destroy
all those achievements if he become US President, recalling his statements that he would impose
heavy taxes on imports from China, West Europe and other countries, force Mexico to pay for
the construction of a wall between them and demand funds from some countries in return for
protection. Trump could wreck all US achievements. He may even ally with Russian President
Vladimir Putin to use their formidable military arsenal to tackle their economic woes.
The declaration of a federal region
by the Kurds in North Syria will hit
efforts to fight terrorism and could
trigger a foreign attack, says an
editorial in the Omani Arabic
language daily Al Watan. The
newspaper says that the
announcement constitutes a serious
blow to efforts by the Syrian
government and army to maintain
the Arab countrys unity after more
than five years of civil strife. In a front
page article, the paper argues that
the Kurds along with any other Syrian party does not have the right to make such a move,
without the peoples consensus. The declaration of a federal system in North Syria by the
Kurds could also give the countrys enemies an excuse to launch an attack against Syria
under the subterfuge of preventing the establishment of a federal entity, it says. We all
know that the Turkish regime is not only targeting the Kurds but also has aggressive designs on
Syrian territory. Furthermore, the Kurds declaration will also strengthen the terror groups in that
country and this will weaken campaigns launched by the government and the army to fight those
groups and put an end to their terrorist activities and conspiracies against Syria.

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Best of the American columnists

Preparing for
the Republican
nomination
Jonah Goldberg
Los Angeles Times

Americas
impoverished
whites
Paul Krugman
The New York Times

Rediscovering
older family
traditions
Walter Russell Mead
The American Interest

Trumps
ill-timed
trial
Morgan Cloud
and George Shepherd
The Wall Street Journal

NEWS 19

Its all over for the Republican Party as we know it, says Jonah Goldberg. If, as seems likely, Donald
Trump falls just short of securing enough delegates to win the nomination outright, there will be
a brokered convention in July in which Republican leaders will have to decide either to deny
Trump the nomination, causing his supporters to riot and desert the party en masse, or crown
him, causing lots of other party members to jump ship in disgust. Many Republicans have yet to
face up to this fact and still hope there might be some happier resolution to the situation. Forget
it. Only three things can stop a calamitous bust-up in July: Ted Cruz winning the nomination
outright; Trump revealing a hidden reservoir of magnanimity, and rallying his faithful to the
consensus nominee; or delegates picking a consensus candidate so attractive to Trumps
followers a reanimated Ronald Reagan? Batman? that these people swing behind the
candidate despite Trumps objections. All of these scenarios are highly unlikely. So lets stop
kidding ourselves and start thinking intelligently about our options. To wit: This ends in tears
no matter what. Get over it and pick a side.
Americas white working class is impoverished
and wretched and it only has itself to blame.
Such, at least, is the view of conservative
commentator Kevin Williamson. Forget all
your cheap Bruce Springsteen rubbish and
your sentimentality about Rust Belt factory
towns, he wrote in a recent article for
National Review: China or Washington
didnt force such communities into welfare
dependency, substance abuse and family
breakdown; these people failed
themselves. This moralistic attitude is
widely shared on the Right, says Paul
Krugman, but it doesnt hold water. Tens of
millions of people dont suffer a collapse in values for no reason. The social ills of Americas black
community have been clearly connected to a lack of economic opportunity, and a similar thing is
now happening with rural whites. You cant blame welfare handouts: every other advanced nation
has a more generous safety net than the US, yet only America is witnessing an unprecedented rise in
mortality among middle-aged whites. The Republican elite just cant admit that trickle-down
economics isnt the answer to everything, so theyre now lashing out at voters that refuse to buy
into that story line and lecturing them on their moral failings. And they wonder why Donald
Trump is beating them.
The way we live in America is changing, says Walter Russell Mead. Were moving away from the
nuclear family model of the post-war era and rediscovering the old custom of several generations
living under one roof. In the decades of prosperity that followed the Second World War, the singlefamily suburban home came to epitomise the American dream. Each nuclear family was supposed
to be an island unto itself. In many municipalities, zoning laws actually made multi-family living
illegal. Similar laws also banned the use of a home for business. The family was limited to the role
of consumption; production was supposed to happen in factories and offices far, far away from
domestic bliss. Many of these outdated laws still exist but its high time we scrapped them to reflect
our changing habits. In an age of stagnant wages, high housing costs and increased single parenthood, it
makes sense for extended families to share houses and to use them for commercial purposes,
whether that be teleworking or using the premises as a base for a start-up or renting out a room on
Airbnb. Allowing homes to meet flexible modern needs is one piece of the policy mix that can jump
start the middle class renaissance that America so badly needs.
Before the November election, Donald
Trump will very likely testify in court on
allegations that he defrauded thousands of
people, said law professors Morgan Cloud
and George Shepherd. Former customers
of Trump University have filed three
separate lawsuits charging that Trump
provided nothing of value for how-to-getrich-quick courses that cost up to $35,000.
One of those suits seems almost certain to
go to trial this summer or autumn, at the
height of the 2016 campaign. And since
that federal class-action lawsuit, Makaeff
v. Trump University, is a civil case, the
plaintiffs can force Trump to attend the trial, and his own lawyers have indicated he will testify.
In court, he will face embarrassing evidence, such as promotional materials in which Trump
promises that all his instructors are handpicked by me and are terrific people with terrific
brains. Hes subsequently admitted in depositions that he didnt choose the instructors. If
Trumps ultimate defensce is that he knew nothing about the inner workings of his so-called
university, he will only bolster the allegation that he fraudulently promised to be directly
involved with the students educations. For Trump, the trial is a no-win situation, and the
timing couldnt be worse.
3 APRIL 2016 THE WEEK

20 NEWS
UNITED KINGDOM

The sinister
side of
mourning
The Guardian

SLOVAKIA

Censored by
a neo-Nazi
governor
Dennk

UNITED KINGDOM

How Camerons
happiness plan
backfired
Daily Mail

MALTA

Migrants
will find
another way
The Malta Independent

THE WEEK 3 APRIL 2016

Best articles: Europe

It began with the Paris attacks, says Nasrine Malik. Thats when mourners started being berated
for their eurocentrism. What about Beirut? went the cry. Why didnt you show the same anguish
for other bomb victims? Last week the whatabouters were at it again: You there, mourner of
Brussels, have you heard of the attacks by al Qaeda in Mogadishu? Solidarity-sneering the idea
that undue seniority is being given to white deaths is now an ingrained part of the reaction to
terrorist atrocity. And its true in Europe there is a huge disparity in the attention paid to deaths
inside Europe and outside it. But what the sneerers ignore is the basic truth that people feel closer to
those with whom theyre geographically, culturally and politically connected. Its not as if Europeans
are denying other nations or continents the chance to mourn their own. Theres nothing to stop
African leaders, say, from leading collective expressions of grief for African victims of al Qaeda. But
there is something decidedly sinister about deriding the human impulse to share shock and grief
with members of your society in the wake of a disaster.
The fascist censorship of Slovak culture has
begun, said Jakub Drabik. The neo-Nazi
governor of Slovakias Banska Bystrica
Region, Marian Kotleba, recently stopped
a play during its performance. Kotleba,
who was in the audience, had his lackey
rush up to the stage and order the actors
off, apparently because he deemed some
of the language off-colour. Kotleba hates
to be called a fascist, but he often acts like
one. He has been photographed strutting
around in the uniform of the Hlinka Guard
the brutal Slovak militia that allied itself
with the Nazis during World War II and
gleefully rounded up Slovak Jews and he refers to Roma as gypsy parasites. Now, he is not
only a regional governor but also the leader of the ultra-nationalist Our Slovakia party, which
shocked the nation a few weeks ago by winning 8% of the vote to take 14 seats in Parliament.
Hes already following the fascist playbook. Fascist parties always carry out a cultural cleansing
operation once they are installed in power. In Nazi Germany, theatres and actors were the first
victims of Propaganda Minister Josef Goebbels. After that came book burnings and confiscation
of so-called decadent artworks. Now is the time to stop Kotleba, before he does more harm.
We must expose his true beliefs before the fascist meat grinder is set in motion.
Call me an embittered old curmudgeon, says Tom Utley, but I do love it when a gimmick
introduced by a politician explodes in his face. Judged by conventional measures, British Prime
Minister David Cameron has done strikingly well. According to a new survey by the British
Office of National Statistics (ONS) disposable income per head had, by 2014, shot up by nearly
$1,400 since the Labour partys last year in office. Crime is down. Healthy life expectancy (before
illness sets in) has risen for both men and women. Employment is at its highest ever. How Cameron
must be wishing, that back in 2010 (when the economic outlook appeared far less rosy) he
hadnt announced that conventional measures of economic health obscured the truth, and that
henceforth the ONS would be measuring peoples feelings of well-being as well. And, for all
the objective improvements, are the British happy? Not really. More of us, so the ONS tells us,
are unhappy about our take home pay; women feel less safe walking home at night; fewer of us
are satisfied with the state of our health. I feel sorry for Cameron, he thought his survey would
offer him a shield against the Left, so that when the British economy faltered he could say
ok it may not be doing so well, but just look at these figures! They show everyones getting
happier, and thats the main thing. Instead, the Left now have a weapon to use against him.
European leaders shouldnt yet celebrate
their refugee deal with Turkey, said The
Malta Independent. Under the agreement
clinched recently, Turkey will take back all
migrants who cross over to Greece from its
coast, in exchange for financial aid, closer
ties with the European Union, and an
acceleration of talks about Turkey joining
the bloc. The EU thinks the prospect of being
sent back to Turkey will prevent migrants
from attempting to reach Greece, and theyre
probably right. But the migrants wont stop
trying to reach Europe. Instead, the new policy
will spark a fresh wave of departures from
Libya to Italy. Before the Syrian civil war saw refugees flood into Turkey and then into Europe,
migrants typically boarded rickety boats from the Libyan coast to try to cross the Mediterranean.
That route is now heating back up. Already this year, some 10,000 migrants have landed in Italy, and
just last weekend, EU boats picked up and turned back another 3,000, all in small, flimsy rubber
dinghies in international waters near Libya. This time around, though, theres a dire new element.
ISIL is now active in Libya and in need of new sources of income. It is likely to turn to the hugely
profitable business of human trafficking.

Best articles: International

NEWS 21

Brazil: Rocked by political corruption

actually be able to take that
Brazil just experienced
cabinet position, said O Globo.
something of a political coup,
Rousseff claims that she
said Roberto Macedo in Estado.
appointed him because she
The multibillion-dollar
needed his expert political
corruption scandal surrounding
guidance, not to shield him from
the state oil giant Petrobras
the law. But a secretly recorded
whose executives allegedly
phone call between the two
conspired with construction
politicians leaked by federal
companies to inflate the value
judge Srgio Moro, the lead
of contracts, with much of the
prosecutor in the Petrobras
extra money being funnelled to
investigation, a few hours after
political parties has already
Lulas appointment strongly
implicated dozens of top
implies the latter. Now the courts
politicians and business leaders.
have issued an injunction against
Now it has reached one of the
Lula assuming the post until a
nations most beloved figures,
hearing can be called in early
Luiz Incio Lula da Silva, who
April; the former president
oversaw an unparalleled period
might well be in jail by then.
of economic growth while
Rousseff (r) and Lula: A deal to avoid justice?
Meanwhile, Rousseff is still under
president from 2003 to 2011.
investigation for improperly moving money around in the
Prosecutors indicted him for money laundering this month; he
budget to hide shortfalls. Her impeachment should proceed.
denies any wrongdoing. Rather than let justice take its course,
Let the legislative and judicial institutions work so that we
our leftist President Dilma Rousseff gave Lula what amounts
can overcome this crisis without betraying the constitution.
to immunity last week by naming him to her cabinet as chief
of staff. Following this crass political move, we should stop
Brazils corporate, right-leaning media may be united against
calling Rousseff president. She obviously no longer wields
Rousseff, said The Observer, but ordinary Brazilians are not
the power of the office, if she ever really did. Her mentor and
so sure. Yes, rich white Brazilians have taken to the streets to
predecessor, Lula, has manoeuvred himself back into the
protest corruption, but the poor who first ushered Lula into
palace, kicking aside his puppet. No wonder hundreds of
power in 2003 are convinced that the scandal is all a plot.
thousands of furious Brazilians demonstrated last week,
They suspect the countrys old elite wants to reverse the leftcalling for Rousseffs impeachment.
wing policies first introduced by Lula, which helped lift
millions from poverty. The danger is that escalating antiRousseff really shot herself in the foot, said Folha de So
and pro-government protests could degenerate into violence,
Paulo in an editorial. Appointing Lula was probably the
risking intervention by the army. Brazil cast off military
grossest error committed yet by a government lavish with its
rule only in 1985, and the shadow lingers. Rousseffs duty is
deplorable decisions politically, economically, and morally.
plain: If she cannot restore calm, she must call new elections
Polls show three-quarters of Brazilians disapprove of the
or step aside.
repulsive manoeuvre. Yet its unclear whether Lula will

LEBANON

Lessons in
how to absorb
refugees
The Daily Star

ISRAEL

Pandering
to the Israeli
right wing
Haaretz

Lebanon can teach Europe a thing or two about how to treat refugees, said Nasser Yassin.
Denmark, home to some five million people, has taken in just 27,000 asylum seekers, and it is
already panicking. Authorities there have actually started seizing cash amounts and individual
valuables worth more than $1,450 from refugees to contribute to their housing and processing
costs. Now look at Lebanon: We have a population similar to Denmarks, but with an economy
not nearly as advanced and a government that is non-functioning, with no president and a
gridlocked parliament. Yet we have absorbed 1.5 million Syrians over the past four years, the
highest rate of refugees per capita in the world, with no public outcry or anti-migrant violence.
The reason may be because we dont expect the government to deal with the new arrivals.
Western countries have an over-reliance on formal channels for crisis response, such as
government agencies, and that costs money and political capital. Here, since government is
hapless, civic groups and individuals step up. Refugees find housing in the cities, renting out
garages or rooms. Arab and Islamic charities donate shadow aid. Its chaotic, but it works.
Europeans should try society-led initiatives. Trust your people to be generous.
The big winner at AIPAC this year was Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said Asher
Schechter. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee is the largest Jewish lobbying group in
the US, and its annual conference always draws fawning politicians. But this year the word
pandering doesnt even begin to describe it. Presidential candidates Donald Trump, Ted Cruz,
and Hillary Clinton gave nearly identical speeches. They denounced Iran, any UN-imposed peace
deal with Palestine and praised the unbreakable, non-negotiable bond between the US and Israel.
Trump talked about his daughters beautiful Jewish baby, while Clinton cast herself as Esther
in the Purim story and Cruz concluded his speech by hollering Am Yisrael chai! The people
of Israel live! as if his life depended on it. Every word out of their mouths could have been
scripted by Netanyahu. Not one of them mentioned the occupation of the West Bank, or the
unremitting humanitarian crisis that is Gaza. Bernie Sanders, who didnt attend AIPAC, did
give a speech elsewhere criticising the occupation, but he got practically no US media coverage.
So congratulations, Netanyahu. You have thoroughly defined the limits of American discourse
on Israel.
3 APRIL 2016 THE WEEK

Health & Science

22 NEWS

What the scientists are saying

Sexual harassment in the wild

The dowdiness of many female animals

relative to their more flamboyant male
counterparts has long puzzled scientists.
After all both sexes want to attract the
best mates so why is it that only
peacocks have brilliantly coloured
plumage? Now researchers at Exeter
University have come up with a possible
explanation: the females more discreet
appearance may serve to discourage
unwanted sexual advances. Excessive
male attention can be a problem for
females because it can reduce their
reproductive abilities: fending off males
or hiding from them uses up energy
they could otherwise devote to egg
production. Therefore, females who
dont look very alluring might have an
evolutionary advantage, says study leader
David Hosken provided theyre not too
unalluring. There are other possible
explanations for the phenomenon: it may
be the case, for instance, that females
who are more camouflaged are better
able to bring up their young and these
theories could also be valid. We are not
suggesting that male harassment of
attractive females is the only explanation
for lack of sexual ornamentation, said
Professor Hasken, but it could be a
contributing factor.

A new mission to Mars

As NASA prepares to send its InSight

spacecraft to Mars in about two years,
Russia and the European Space Agency
last week launched their joint ExoMars
mission to the Red Planet from Baikonur
Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Following
a seven-month journey, the ExoMars
spacecraft, known as the Trace Gas

to address one of the fundamental

questions in science, planetary scientist
Peter Grindrod told CSMonitor.com. Is
there life anywhere else besides Earth?

To lose weight keep quiet

Peacocks: Long puzzled scientists

Orbiter, and its lander, which was dubbed

Schiaparelli, after a 19th-century
astronomer, will separate. Schiaparelli
will then descend though the Martian
atmosphere and touch down on the planets
dusty surface in less than six minutes.
Over the course of four days, it will conduct
environmental experiments and test a new
thermal protection material, a parachute
system, liquid braking system, and an
altimeter, which may all be used in future
deep-space missions. Meanwhile, the
orbiter will circle Mars at an altitude of
roughly 250 miles, performing a detailed
analysis of the atmosphere in search of
methane, nitrogen, water vapour, and
other gases associated with life on Earth.
This is a series of missions thats trying

A supernovas shock breakout

The flash of a dying star exploding
has been captured in visible light for
the first time. For three years, a team
of scientists analysed light captured
by Nasas Kepler space telescope as
it scanned 50 trillion stars in 500
distant galaxies, hoping to detect
signs of massive stellar death
explosions known as supernovae.
In 2011, two stars known as red
supergiants exploded in Keplars
view. One was nearly 300 times the
size of our sun and 700 million light
years from Earth. The second was
roughly 500 times the size of our sun and 1.2 billion light years away. A type II
supernova occurs when a massive stars internal nuclear fuel burns out; unable to
withstand the pressure of gravity, its core starts to collapse, then explodes outwards.
The process, in which the stars exterior swells until it reaches a brightness a billion
timers brighter than our sun, can take weeks. But the first phase a blinding flash
given off when photons, speeding out of the stars collapsing core, blast through its
outer surface takes only about 20 minutes. The stars were too far away for Keplar
to take images of this shock breakout; but the telescope detected enough detail
from one for artists to create an animated simulation of the event (see above).

THE WEEK 3 APRIL 2016

Eating in silence so that you can hear

the noise of your own chewing could be
a powerful aid to losing weight, a study
has found. Students at Colorado State
University were asked to keep quiet and
sit in front of bowls of pretzels while
wearing headphones; one group was
subjected to powerful white noise, the
others heard quieter ambient sounds. The
students in the former group consumed
four pretzels, on average, while those in
the latter ate only 2.8. The findings
suggest that people on a diet shouldnt
eat while watching TV or listening to the
radio, Dr Gina Mohr, the study leader,
told The Times. The researchers also
found that the mere suggestion of noise
could be a deterrent. In a second
experiment, two sets of students were
given the same high-baked crackers to
eat, but one was shown a piece of paper
reading: Our crackers deliver the crunch
you crave. The students in that group
ate one fewer cracker on average than the
others suggesting, among other things,
that food manufacturers dont always get
their marketing language right.

Brain-boosting blueberries

Blueberries may help improve memory

and brain function in older adults with
cognitive decline, a new study suggests.
Researchers at the University of
Cincinnati monitored 47 Americans ages
68 and older who had shown mild
cognitive impairment, a risk factor for
Alzheimers disease. Once daily over a
16-week period, participants were given
either freeze-dried blueberry powder
(the equivalent of a cup of berries) or
a placebo. The people who had taken
blueberry powder saw their memory
improve, finding it easier to retrieve
words and concepts. Those changes were
borne out in MRI scans that showed
more intense brain activity in the
blueberry powder group compared with
subjects given the placebo. A second
experiment focused on 94 people ages 62
to 80 who had not been diagnosed with
cognitive impairment but felt as though
their memory was on the decline. The
participants were split into four groups
and given either blueberry powder, fish oil,
a mix of fish oil and powder, or a placebo.
The results were not as robust as with the
first study, lead author Robert Krikorian
told ScienceDaily.com. Cognition was
somewhat better for those with powder
or fish oil separately, but there was little
improvement with memory, a finding
that suggests blueberries may be most
beneficial when cognitive impairment
has already been established.

Technology

NEWS 23

Alphabet: Why Google is selling its robots

myriad of wildly ambitious moon shots
Postpone the robot apocalypse, said Brad
that Googles founders hope to pursue, from
Stone and Jack Clark on Bloomberg.com.
life-extending technology to self-driving cars.
Just weeks ago, awe-inspiring and
But while executives say they want to give new
scary footage of humanoid robots built
ideas room to flourish, they also want clear
by Google-owned robotics firm Boston
road maps to profitability. The trouble is,
Dynamics took the internet by storm.
theres no easy way to tell which outlandish
Tens of millions of people watched
and expensive projects will become worlda video by the company that showed
changing innovations, and which ones will
a two-legged robot keeping its balance
become budget-killing flops. This tells us that
as it trudged through snow, and another
while Alphabet may have its head in the
robot with two arms crouching down,
clouds, its feet are still on the ground, said
lifting a box, and delicately placing it on
Richard Waters in the Financial Times. Robots
a shelf. It was all impressive stuff, but
have been widely hailed as the next trillionsources now say that Google parent
dollar industry, and the technology is indeed
company Alphabet is putting Boston
advancing rapidly. But most experts will tell you
Dynamics, which it acquired in 2013,
were still a long way from androids walking
up for sale. Its a seemingly abrupt
among us. Even Google didnt have the
departure from a partnership that
patience to wait for a walking robot to step
appeared to be a driving force in cuttingout of the lab and earn itself a living.
edge robotics. But behind the scenes a
The shelf stocker of tomorrow?
more pedestrian drama was playing out.
So who will fill Googles empty, robo-panicking shoes? asked
Alphabet executives reportedly worried that the firm is still
Kelsey Atherton in Popular Science. Toyota and Amazon have
years from producing a marketable product. There were also
been floated as the most likely buyers for Boston Dynamics.
suggestions that Alphabets PR team didnt enjoy responding to
Toyota has devoted $1 billion to creating its own Silicon Valley
headlines that suggested the terrifying humanoid machines
robotics lab, and much like Google Amazon has a fondness
might one day take jobs away from humans... or morph into
for big, headline-grabbing initiatives. The online retailer has its
Terminator-like overlords.
own robotics division, largely focused on automating work
inside its fulfilment centres; plenty of people noticed that Boston
This robot retreat perfectly illustrates the challenge that Alphabet
Dynamics video shows its Atlas robot lifting packages. Heres
has created for itself, said Shira Ovide, also on Bloomberg.com.
hoping the droids find the buyer theyre looking for.
The umbrella company was formed last year to encompass a

Innovation of the week

Bytes: Whats new in tech

Instagram tests algorithmic feeds

Were not far from the day when any

tabletop could be transformed into a
giant tablet computer, said Nick Statt
on TheVerge.com. At Austins South
by Southwest Interactive Festival in
March, Sonys R&D division unveiled
a projector that uses depth sensors
and motion tracking to turn any flat
surface into an interactive touch
screen. The Interactive Tabletop can
also recognise whats placed on it. In
one demonstration, Sony used the
device to bring an open copy of Alice
in Wonderland to life, turning the
illustrations into animations that
could be dragged off the page and
placed anywhere on the table. The
projector is still just a prototype, but
its easy to imagine the device
eventually being used as an
educational tool, turning books into
interactive lessons. It could also be a
step toward the hologram-based
tech we see in movies.

Instagram is tinkering with

users photo feeds, said Mike
Isaac in The New York
Times. The photo-sharing
app, following in parent company
Facebooks footsteps, will soon begin
testing personalised feeds that sort
algorithmically, rather than in traditional
reverse chronological order. That means
Instagram will place the photos and videos
it thinks you will most want to see from the
people you follow toward the top of your
feed, regardless of when they were shared.
Like Twitter, which recently started tweaking
its ordinarily chronological feed, Instagram
wants to increase users return rates by
helping them navigate the sheer amount of
content available. Instagram estimates that
its 400 million users typically miss about
70% of their friends photos.

How video games make

(more) money
Digital add-ons have become
a cash cow for the video
game industry, said Sarah E.
Needleman in The Wall Street
Journal. While game makers bottom
lines once relied on huge sales during the
holiday season, downloadable extras are
now helping bring in money year-round.
Selling add-ons like new levels, characters,
and other virtual gear also helps companies

squeeze money out of hit games long after

the discs might have ended up on a dusty
shelf. Digital extras for console and PC
games generated more than $21 billion in
revenue worldwide in 2015, up 8% from the
previous year, according to industry tracker
SuperData Research. There are downsides,
however. Gamers might be content to keep
buying add-ons rather than a new title, or
bristle at having to spend more money after
paying for a full-priced game.

When digital helpers arent helpful

It can give you street
directions or find the nearest
deli, but how helpful is your
smartphones virtual voice in
a health crisis? asked Lindsey Tanner in
the Associated Press. Not very, according
to a new study. Researchers in California
tested Apples Siri, Google Now, Samsungs
S Voice, and Microsofts Cortana for their
responses to alarming statements about
rape, suicide, depression, and other major
health problems. In some cases, they were
helpful: Siri pulled up a prevention help line
in response to I want to commit suicide.
But only Cortana provided a sexual assault
hotline for the statement I was raped.
None of the helpers gave effective assistance
for I am being abused, responding, I
dont know what you mean or offering to
do an internet search.
3 APRIL 2016 THE WEEK

24 NEWS
Pick of the weeks

Gossip

Comedian James Corden

has wormed his way
into the hearts of the rich
and famous, said The
Independent. The presenter of
the US TV show, The Late
Late Show, borrowed
Jennifer Lopez 's phone
(pictured) in a recent episode,
and sent a text to Leonardo
DiCaprio. Hey baby, Corden
wrote I'm kind of feeling like
I need to cut loose. Any
suggestions, let me know.
J. Lo (you know, from the
block). To which Leo replied
You mean tonight, boo
boo? Club wise?.You can
Forget his Oscar-winning
performance in The Revenant
this surely has to be the
actors defining moment,
said The Independent.

The artist Tracey Emin is no

longer single. The former
enfant terrible, now 52, has
revealed that she married a
rock last summer, in a quiet
ceremony in the garden of her
house in France. As her gown,
she wore her fathers white
funeral shroud. It just means
that at the moment I am not
alone, Emin who has a new
show opening in Hong Kong
told The Art Newspaper.
Somewhere, on a hill facing
the sea, there is a very
beautiful ancient stone, and
its not going anywhere. It will
be there, waiting for me.
When John Travolta is filming
on location, he allegedly
insists that a male masseur
be available in his hotel, and
that the windows in his room
are blacked out with
aluminium foil and dark
curtains. According to a report
on the Page Six gossip site,
the actor also brings his own
sheets, and asks that his room
be vacant for at least 24 hours
before his arrival, so that he
cannot smell the scents of
previous occupants.

THE WEEK 3 APRIL 2016

Talking points
South Africa: Indian brothers in control
of the Guptas argue that
Its a terrible thing to
through their investments,
discover that your country
they have empowered
is being run by a criminal
previously disadvantaged
syndicate; but thats the
South Africans and that is
shocking reality of life in
undoubtedly true of Duduzane
South Africa, said Floyd
Zuma. Before the Guptas came,
Shivambu in The Daily
he was just one of Zumas
Maverick. Three Indian
many children: now he has
businessmen, the brothers
been catapulted onto the
Ajay, Atul and Rajesh
list of Africas young dollar
Gupta who emigrated to
millionaires. As for Zuma
South Africa from India in
himself, he is a regular visitor
1993 have created such a
Will scandal hasten Zumas departure?
at Saxonwold, especially when
solid network within the
crucial decisions of state are being made.
ruling ANC party that they effectively run the
machinery of state for their own benefit. And it
The Guptas have until now seemed untouchable,
now appears theyve got President Jacob Zuma so
said Max du Preez on News24.com. But Nenes
firmly in their pockets, they tell him what to do.
sacking has finally lanced the bulging boil of
This December, for example, Zuma, out of the
their influence. The stock market plunge that it
blue, sacked his respected finance minister,
occasioned forced Zuma to offer a public apology
Nhlanhla Nene, and replaced him with a
and appoint a respected heavyweight as finance
nonentity. Nene, keen to rein in spending, had
minister; the first time he has ever backed down.
nixed a nuclear power deal with Russia and
The scandal is a national embarrassment, but if
other vast construction projects in which the
it hastens Zumas departure, it will have a silver
Gupta business empire had a major interest.
So the Guptas made sure to get Nene removed. lining. And it could well do it, said the Sunday
Times. After all, in 2008, Zumas predecessor,
Thabo Mbeki, was forced to resign by the
Stories abound of politicians being summoned
ANCs national executive. But for Zuma to go,
to the Guptas palatial residence in Saxonwold,
a lot of scales have to fall from a lot of eyes.
a swanky Johannesburg suburb, said Sechaba
Some senior party figures, shocked by the
kaNkosi on Independent Online . One former
revelations, are breaking ranks. Most, however,
ANC MP, Vytjie Mentor, recalled how theyd
fearing for their jobs, are still standing by him.
told her she could become minister of public
Sooner or later theyll realise that things will end
enterprises if she agreed to stop South African
badly for them if they go on doing that, but it
Airlines flying passengers to India and to let the
may take a while yet.
Guptas company take over the route. Defenders

Tennis: Should women be paid less?

interesting, more popular and
No sport has done more to blaze
more exciting than the womens.
a trail for womens rights than
Of course, womens tennis can be
tennis, said Paul Newman in The
thrilling, and there are those who
Independent. Thanks in large part
enjoy watching honey-limbed
to campaigns by Billie Jean King
blondes in skimpy whites but for
and Martina Navratilova, among
devotees of the sport, it is often
others, most of the big
a bit of a swizz. Last year at
tournaments now give the two
Wimbledon, I watched Petra
sexes equal billing, and equal prize
Kvitova dispatch her opponent in
money. But alas, there are still
a mere 35 minutes; in the mens
some dinosaurs about the place.
game, Grand Slam matches often
Among them is Raymond Moore,
last five hours. Its better value for
chief executive of the Indian Wells
money and the men, playing five
tournament in California, who
declared last week that lady
Navratilova: Fought for pay sets not three, work harder.
players were riding on the coatThere was a time when female players could
tails of the mens game, and that they should
earn more than men, said Matthew Syed in The
go down on [their] knees every night and
Times, largely because the rivalry between Steffi
thank God for the likes of Roger Federer and
Graf and Navratilova created such compelling
Rafael Nadal, who carry the sport. To his
sport. But now there is a vast gulf in the
discredit, the World No. 1 Novak Djokovic then
degree of interest in men and womens tennis
piled in, arguing that men should get paid more
so why should men effectively cross-subsidise
because they attract bigger crowds.
the womens game? Of course, women should
earn the same as men if theyre doing the same
Cue predictable outrage, said Rachel Johnson in
job. But top male tennis players like male
The Daily Telegraph. Moore had to step down,
footballers are doing a different job, by
and Djokovic was soon backtracking but I
attracting more ticket holders and TV viewers.
agree with those who have, yet again, made
Moores patronising remarks were reprehensible,
the elementary mistake of stating the truth.
but Djokovic made a fair point about the money.
As a general rule, the mens game is more

Talking points
Radovan Karadic: Brought to justice at last
shocking as the Srebrenica
The civil war in Syria is so
massacre, said The Daily
horrifying, it defies easy
Telegraph. In July 1995, his
comparison, said The
forces overran the UNs
Washington Post. But one
supposed safe haven. Then,
analogy of recent times might
inspired by his belief in Serb
be the violence that engulfed
ethnic supremacy, they separated
Yugoslavia, a quarter of a
8,000 Muslim men and boys
century ago. As that multi-ethnic
from their families, and
federation began to fall apart, in
slaughtered them in cold blood.
1991, the inhabitants of its
Boys were ordered to assault
various republics were propelled
their own sisters and had their
into a bitter war over territory
throats cut; one mother watched
and physical assets with the
as her baby son was beheaded.
worst savagery taking place in
Bosnia. Backed by the governThe wheels of justice have turned
ment of Serbia, Bosnias Serbs
slowly, said The Times: it is
launched a vicious campaign of
20 years since Karadic went on
ethnic cleansing, mainly aimed
Karadic: 40 years in jail
the run, and eight since he was
at Bosnian Muslims. Genocide
arrested, having been found, posing as a bearded
was being perpetrated on European soil and
faith healer, in the Serbian capital, Belgrade. The
world leaders resolved that those responsible
Serbs had long known his whereabouts: they
for atrocities in Yugoslavia must be held
arrested him to enhance their chance of EU
accountable. An international tribunal was
membership. And many nationalist Serbs are
established in 1993, and last week it achieved its
still angry about it: last week, they protested in
most significant conviction when Radovan
Belgrade at Karadics sentence, and denounced
Karadic, the former poet and psychiatrist who
the tribunal as anti-Serb. Alas, tensions remain
led the Bosnian Serbs, was found guilty of war
high in the Balkans, said Julian Borger in The
crimes and sentenced to 40 years in jail.
Guardian. In the various ethnic silos, children
grow up with very different understandings of
In three years, some 100,000 people were killed
what happened in their towns and villages. But
in a country the size of Scotland; at least 20,000
while the tribunal has failed to bring about a
women, mainly Muslim, were raped, some of
reconciliation, it has achieved something: it has
them in rape camps. The citizens of Sarajevo
shown that international justice has teeth and
were shot at and shelled during a siege that
sent an important message that those who
lasted longer than that of Leningrad. But of all
commit war crimes can be brought to account.
the crimes Karadic presided over, none was as

Syria: How Putin proved Obama wrong

respond to provocation. Putin will
For five years, President Obama
be sure to apply that lesson in other
has insisted itd be impossible to
contested regions. What Putin is
intervene in Syria without being
actually doing here, said Tom
sucked into a quagmire, said
Rogan on NationalReview.com,
Mark Landler in The New York
is usurping American influence
Times. Yet Vladimir Putin appears
in the Middle East. His abrupt
to have done exactly that. Six
withdrawal from Syria signals to
months after sending his troops
the Arabian Gulf that hes open to
into the civil war-torn country
a deal in which Assad is removed
to bolster beleaguered Syrian
from power. But itll come at a price
President Bashar al-Assad, the
most likely Putin will want the
Russian president announced
Saudis and their allies to purchase
late last month that he was
Russian arms.
withdrawing the bulk of his men
Putin: Accepted that Assad
and sending his bombers home.
has to go?
Nonetheless, the world may be
Putin originally claimed that Russia
glad Putin intervened in Syria, said Fred Kaplan
intervened to combat the rise of ISIL, which is
battling both government and rebel forces. But it on Slate.com. Putin seems to have accepted that
a durable peace requires the departure of
was obvious Putins primary goal was to save
Assad. This could be the beginning of the end
the embattled Syrian regime and give Russia
of the Syrian civil war. If you look closely,
a seat at the table for any political settlement.
Russias victory rings hollow, said The
Mission accomplished.
Economist in an editorial. ISIL still controls
a big chunk of Syria, and Putins military
What a humiliating defeat for the US, said Noah
adventure there was rooted in a need to whip
Rothman on CommentaryMagazine.com. Putin
up nationalistic pride, and to deflect the Russian
got away with attacking US-backed, anti-Assad
publics attention from an economy in collapse,
rebels, blowing up a CIA-provided weapons
falling wages, and food shortages. Putin remains
depot, and repeatedly violating NATO airspace.
popular for now, but he knows he needs
Even worse, hes shown the world that the
footage of warplanes to fill his news bulletins.
Atlantic Alliance is a paper tiger that will not

NEWS 25

Wit &
Wisdom
You have to take money
where you find it, from the
poor. OK, they dont have
much money, but there are
a lot of them.
French writer Alphonse
Allais, quoted in
The Guardian
Nuance is the first casualty
of politics and, too often,
decency is the second.
Alex Massie, on Slate.com
The most dangerous
world view is the world view
of those who have not
viewed the world.
Naturalist Alexander von
Humboldt, quoted in the
journal Nature
Most critics are educated
beyond their intelligence.
Critic Kenneth Tynan, quoted
in the Pasadena Star-News
The world is not
dangerous because of those
who do harm. Its dangerous
because of those who watch
and do nothing.
Albert Einstein, quoted on
HuffingtonPost.com
Aim at simplicity, and
hope for truth
Philosopher Nelson
Goodman, quoted on
The Browser
A baby is a loud noise at
one end and no sense of
responsibility at the other.
Ronald Knoxs definition,
quoted in The Times
Dont worry if your 5-yearold insists on a pink frilly
princess dress. It doesnt mean
she wants to subside into
froth; it just means, sensibly
enough for her, that she wants
to take over the world.
Author Naomi Wolf,
quoted in the New York Post

Statistic of the week

A Donald Trump presidency
has been ranked one of the
top 10 risks facing the world
this year by the Economist
Intelligence Unit. The
organisation warns that
Trump could start a trade war
that would disrupt the global
economy and could boost
terrorist recruiters with his
anti-Islamic rhetoric.
Politico.com

3 APRIL 2016 THE WEEK

Sport

26 NEWS

Johan Cruyff: The Dutchman who revolutionised football

If a single moment could be said to have changed
the way a generation looked at football, it was the
turn with which Johan Cruyff bamboozled Jan
Olsson, said Richard Williams in The Guardian.
At the 1974 World Cup, the Dutch forward made
as if to pass but tricked the Swedish defender by
flicking the ball through his own legs, before
spinning around to collect it. The Cruyff turn,
as it will forever be known, was football from
another planet. It was a moment of characteristic
elegance from the Dutchman, who died last week
aged 68. In an era when opponents employed all
the dark arts to crush attackers, he still managed
to glide through defences, said Henry Winter in
The Times. Its no wonder the ballet legend Rudolf
Nureyev thought Cruyff would have made a fine
dancer. He was, quite simply, the greatest
European footballer in history.

they won three successive European Cups.

Together with Rinus Michels, his manager at Ajax
and then in the national team, he developed a new
way of playing the game total football. It was
a sort of cerebral orchestra. Each player had to
think like a playmaker, hitting one-touch passes
while endlessly swapping positions in search of
space; Cruyff roamed constantly, conducting the
orchestra with constant improvisation.

Cruyff didnt just revolutionise Dutch football,

said Ian Hawkey in The Sunday Times. He turned
Barcelona into a giant of the game. His arrival
at the club as a player, in 1973, was significant
enough: he inspired their first league title in 14
years. But it was as manager, between 1988
Football from another planet and 1996, that he achieved towering success.
Barcelona won their first European Cup, as well
as four successive league titles. And in the two decades since his
departure, Cruyffs values which prize possession, pass-andJohan Cruyff was born a short walk from the old Ajax stadium,
move and proactive football have continued to guide the club:
said Simon Kuper in the FT. His father was a grocer who supplied
former managers Pep Guardiola and Frank Rijkaard are both
the Amsterdam side with fruit, and, as a toddler, Cruyff was a
Cruyff disciples. Its this legacy that truly distinguishes this
regular visitor to the Ajax changing room. By 15, he was training
sports hero, said Paul Hayward in The Daily Telegraph. The other
with the first team, bossing around veteran internationals. At this
maestros of the 20th century Pel, Maradona made no real
point, Ajax were merely a reasonably good semi-professional
side in a third-rate football country. But Cruyff transformed
intellectual contribution to the game. But Cruyff left behind a
them into the best team in the world: between 1971 and 1973,
set of sacred principles about what football is actually for.

A triumph for Englands young warriors

It was the kind of breathless football that
Tottenham have played this season, said Dominic
Fifield in The Observer. And thats no coincidence:
four Spurs players started on Saturday, while a further
two used to play under Tottenham manager Mauricio
Pochettino at Southampton. Sure enough, Englands
best player was a Spurs midfielder, said David Walsh
in The Sunday Times. Dele Alli only got his Premier
League debut last August, but astonishingly, on
just his fifth international appearance, the 19-year-old
was the player England looked to. And in Dier,
another Spurs player, England may have solved a
manpower deficit, said Paul Hayward in The Daily
The Germany game was a coming-out party for
Dier: International calibre Telegraph. The 22-year-old used to be a defender
until Pochettino decided last summer that he was
Englands young warriors, said Oliver Holt in The
better suited to defensive midfield. England owe the manager a
Mail on Sunday. The starting line-up had just 161 caps between
great debt: having long lacked a natural holding midfielder,
them (Germanys had 472). Yet for all their inexperience, they
they now have one of international calibre.
were fearless, with the confidence to go forward relentlessly.
It was only a friendly, said Sam Wallace in The
Sunday Telegraph. But even so, Englands
extraordinary 3-2 win over Germany last Saturday
was the greatest moment of Roy Hodgsons reign.
Two goals down against the world champions, in
Berlin, the side mounted a miraculous comeback:
Jamie Vardy equalised with a brilliant backheel
flick, before Eric Dier scored the winner in the 90th
minute. Their disappointing 2-1 loss to the
Netherlands three days later showed there is progress
to be made yet particularly in defence but there is
still a sense of excitement about this team.

Afghanistan: Crickets gathering storm

Sporting headlines

What a way to go out, said BBC

rather watch.They are the sports
Sport online. In their final match of
gathering storm. Afghanistan
the World Twenty20 (T20)
have made remarkably quick
Championship, Afghanistan pulled
progress, said Andy Bull in The
off a shock win, beating West
Guardian. It was only 13 years ago
Indies by six runs. It was a historic
that they held their first national
feat for Afghanistan victory over
cricket trials. Initially, much of their
the No. 3 T20 side in the world; the
kit was donated by English
first time they had beaten anyone
counties; many players had
in the top eight and it was fully
learned the game in Pakistani
deserved.West Indies still topped
refugee camps. Today, however,
the group, despite Englands
the country has around 500 cricket
impressive win over Sri Lanka; and
clubs, and domestic matches
the Afghans came bottom, having
attract millions of TV viewers. What
Amateur spirit
lost their first three matches. But at
the national team needs now is
no stage were they remotely outclassed, said
more matches against the top teams. They
Jonathan Liew in The Daily Telegraph.
rarely play top-eight sides, and are not even
Afghanistan make a virtue of their amateur
due to compete in the 2019 World Cup. Their
spirit: there may be better sides in the
rapid journey to crickets top table deserves
tournament, but virtually none you would
greater reward.

Tennis Jamie
Murray will
become the
worlds top
mens doubles
player when the
new rankings
are published
next week. He will be the first
British world No. 1 since 1973.
Rowing Cambridge won the
mens Boat Race for the first
time since 2012, triumphing
by five seconds. Oxford won
their fourth womens Boat
Race in a row.
Rugby union Saracens beat
Exeter 36-18 to overtake them
at the top of the Premiership,
with four matches to go.

THE WEEK 3 APRIL 2016

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ARTS
Review of reviews: Books

28

Book of the week

Half-Earth: Our Planets
Fight for Life
by Edward O. Wilson
Liveright, $26

Bram Bscher on Aeon.co. Because

only about 15% of the planets land is
currently protected, reaching Wilsons
goal would entail forcibly herding
a drastically reduced human population
into crowded urban areas. He doesnt
really go into the logistics, but the
worlds poor would bear the brunt of such
social engineering while developed nations
would sacrifice little even though theyve
been most responsible for putting earths
biodiversity at risk. Heaven knows that
most Americans arent alarmed enough by
species extinctions that theyre ready to
put away more immediate concerns and
vacate valuable land, said Kate Galbraith
in the San Francisco Chronicle. Wilsons
aspiration, however noble, is that of
a retired Harvard professor who has the
time and money to ponder ants and
dragonflies and grasslands.

At 86, E.O. Wilson has still got a lot to

do, said Claudia Dreifus in Audubon. In
his provocative and urgent new book,
the eminent biologist and two-time Pulitzer
Prize winner calls on his fellow humans to
set aside fully half of Earths land mass and
oceans as vast nature preserves. Doing
anything less, he argues, risks a mass
extinction that would threaten our
own species survival. By the authors
Wilson: Grand ambition to save the Earth
calculations, extinctions are occurring so
rapidly today that 50% of Earths vertebrate species may disappear
Hes also prone to elaborate wishful thinking, said Jedediah
within a few human generations if we continue on our current
Purdy in The New Republic. In Wilsons crystal ball, people
path of colonising wilderness, overfishing the seas, and
will be quick to embrace the idea of preserving half of Earth
exploiting the planets natural resources. But despite Halfand theyll find the task easier than expected. Human
Earths dire warnings and grand ambition, the book is less
population is about to peak and recede, he says, while
detailed plan than aspirational goal, said Dean Kuipers in
technology and the play of free markets will drive down the
Outside. Wilson doesnt worry that we might not do what he
ecological impact of the average human life. In the end, Halfproposes; hes confident we will.
Life is a book of grand ambition without much to say. The
glimmer of an important argument is here, but it is not much
Unfortunately, the authors scheme would have profoundly
developed beyond the title.
negative consequences if played out, said Robert Fletcher and

Also of interest...in mysteries of the body

13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl
by Mona Awad, Penguin, $16
Mona Awads short stories are as addictive as potato chips, said
Amy Gentry in the Chicago Tribune. Her debut collection is a portrait
of one woman, seen in snapshots across time: At the start, shes an
overweight McFlurry-slurping teenager; later, shes a lean shadow of
her former self. But always we encounter her in a story rife with
beauty and humour and devastatingly thorough in detailing how the world teaches
every woman to be insecure about her appearance.

The Heart
by Maylis de Kerangal, Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $25
This novel, a French best-seller, has a hurtling, onrushing quality,
said Sam Sacks in The Wall Street Journal. The action all transpires
in the 24 hours after a car accident plunges a 19-year-old into a terminal
coma, instantly knitting together a clutch of characters who together
will allow the victims harvested heart to save another life. Big,
emphatic personalities wait at every turn and the novels language is almost reverent.
It throbs with beauty, sorrow, and an astonishment at the life of the body.

Blackass
by A. Igoni Barrett, Graywolf, $16
Though A. Igoni Barretts splendid debut novel doesnt start
promisingly, it teaches you how to read it, said Chauncey Mabe in
The Miami Herald. When its protagonist, a black man in Nigeria,
awakens one morning to find that his skin has turned white, the tooobvious evocation of Kafka might put off some readers. But then the
narrative snaps into focus, the satire begins to reveal its subtleties, and the hero
wins us over by drawing more than we expect from his metamorphosis.

THE WEEK 3 APRIL 2016

Novel of the week

High Dive
by Jonathan Lee
Knopf, $27
Jonathan Lees astonishingly well
executed third novel builds toward
an explosion like a ticking bomb, said
Jon Michaud in The Washington Post.
Though the main event is a 1984
Irish Republican Army bombing that
was intended to kill Margaret
Thatcher in a hotel room, were
drawn in not by political intrigue but
by the storys main characters. We
first meet a young co-conspirator,
then the 18-year-old desk clerk he
falls for in spite of himself, then the
clerks sad-sack father (the hotels
assistant general manager and an
ex-diver). Despite the grave matters
at hand, the story carries itself with
an admirable lightness. Indeed, Lee
is sometimes overeager to please,
said Thomas Mallon in The New
Yorker. But he makes his fictional
side players so vivid and real that
when the bomb finally blows, they
become the realest of victims.
Thatcher escapes harm, but five die,
and High Dive makes that loss
devastating. It is Jonathan Lees great
achievement to have written, on this
of all subjects, one of the gentlest
novels in memory.

The List

29

Best books Douglas Rushkoff

Douglas Rushkoff is the author of Present Shock and more than a dozen other books about
media, technology and culture. His latest, Throwing Rocks at the Google Bus, argues for
changing the path that the digital economy has put us on.
Technics & Civilisation by Lewis
Mumford (University of Chicago, $25).
This 1934 book invented media theory,
the notion that our technologies create
entire environments that reshape life as we
know it. The invention of the clock led to
hourly employment. The capital-intensive
machinery of the industrial age led to
consolidated corporate power. Mumford
said it all, first.
Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture
to Technology by Neil Postman
(Vintage, $16). Still the simplest
explanation of how new technologies get
the better of us: We make a tool, we
change our lives to accommodate the

tool, the tool becomes our new reality.

Think cars, TV, computers, smartphones...
Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth
by Buckminster Fuller (Lars Muller, $20).
This is the biggest little book I know,
jamming the grandest ideas of the 20th
centurys greatest designer into just 120
pages of conversational text. In brief, our
problems are not laws of nature, but
artifacts of bad design decisions. And we
can change them.
Debt: The First 5,000 Years by David
Graeber (Melville House, $22). The
gripping saga of how debt an abstract
virus became the default operating

Dont miss...

system for all human commerce. It

represents the original gamification of
business, and a rule so deeply embedded in
our culture that we forgot it was invented.
Capital by Karl Marx (Penguin, $58 for
three volumes). If America had never
begun equating Marxs thought with
Soviet-style communism, this book would
likely have become incorporated into the
business arsenal along with Sun Tzus The
Art of War. Marx was the first and best
at understanding the economy as a
system that not only is informed by
existing power relationships but also
reinforces them. All talk of digital
businesses as ecosystems comes from here.

Best of the rest

GIG OF THE WEEK: Middle East Film & Comic Con

April 7-9 (Thur 2pm to 9pm, Fri and Sat 10am to 10pm) Dubai World Trade Centre,
Dubai, UAE

Groove on the Grass

8 April, 5pm to 3am, Emirates Golf Club,
Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai

If you spot any superheroes, perhaps a

Pokemon and a Stormtrooper loitering
near Sheikh Zayed Road, dont worry you
havent gone crazy, theyre here for this
years Comic Con. Hoards of fans in fancy
dress are expected to descend on Dubai this
week when the emirates annual Comic Con
returns. The three-day event will feature
comic book, TV and film talks. Along with
panels and an array of celebrity guests. Notto-miss special guests will include X-Files
legend Gillian Anderson, while the headliner
is no less than William Shatner who
famously played Captain Kirk in the original
Star Trek series. Meanwhile, Game of
Thrones kingslayer Nikolaj Coster-Waldau,
Back To The Future mad scientist
Christopher Lloyd and Firefly kickass
Summer Glau will also be on the celebrity
circuit, to keep the nerds and the selfie lovers
happy. When you need to put your turbo
boots up, theres even a corner to try out
the latest board games.

Joe Goddard and Felix Martin from UK

dance-rock band Hot Chip are set to join
synthesist George FitzGerald for a main
stage set at Emirates Golf Clubs Groove
on the Grass. Hot Chip, a quintet, who
first formed 15 years ago, already has six
electronic studio albums behind it, while
FitzGerald released his debut album
Fading Love just last year, fusing the house
and garage of his native London with
muted beats of the Berlin techno scene.
Promoter Deian Markov said on
Facebook: Some of you may wonder
how a Hot Chip DJ set fits into our artistic
direction. Well, the answer is that we want
to keep exploring a diverse selection of
electronic music, while having a unique
experience at each and every event.

New album

Affordable art fair World Art Dubai will

be showcasing a selection of works from
more than 140 international galleries and
artists at Dubai World Trade Centres
exhibition halls. The four-day event will
display work from within the MENA
region and will include a selection of
artwork on sale for under $850 in the
Art for Every Wall section. Meanwhile an
array of installations will be dotted around
the exhibition wall from some of the
regions emerging talent. Locally, events
like this help to promote the growth of
creativity and offer a platform for creatives
that otherwise wouldnt necessarily have
one, said Esquire Middle East.

Zayn Malik
Mind of Mine

A year to the day he left

scores of teenage girls
sobbing into their
YouTube accounts,
following his departure
from One Direction,
Zayn Malik emerges with his first solo
attempt called Mind of Mine. The
album is a fittingly laid-back, lowkey affair, said Vulture.com. However
the Consequence of Sound website
bemoaned its lack of focus, but said it
would be premature to write him off.

World Art Dubai

6-9 April, 2pm to 9pm,
Dubai World Trade Centre

The Joy Formidable

Hitch
The Joy Formidable are as
impressive on this new
release as anyone who has
heard their previous two
albums would expect
but theres a deficit on the
joy side of the equation from the Welsh
trio, said The Guardian. Despite the
heartfelt material of singer Rhiannon
Bryan and guitarist Rhydian Dafydds
break-up, the album is mechanical and
rarely gets off the ground, said
Consequenceofsound.com.

3 APRIL 2016 THE WEEK

30 ARTS
Batman v
Superman: Dawn
of Justice
Dir: Zack Snyder
2hrs 31mins (PG13)
Crash! Bang! Wallop!

Midnight Special
Dir: Jeff Nichols
1hr 51mins (PG13)
A boy with special
gifts inspires a
cross-Texas chase.

Krisha
Dir: Trey Edward Shults
1hr 23mins (R)
A troubled woman reunites
with her family.

Out on DVD
The Martian (12A)
In Ridley Scotts slick, if rather
overlong, space adventure,
Matt Damon is on good form
as an astronaut who,
accidentally left behind on
Mars, must survive in that
hostile environment for
months on end (until a rescue
mission, he hopes, may reach
him). Fortunately, he is a
trained botanist. Soon hes
hard at work growing
potatoes in a rigged-up
greenhouse, interspersing his
labours with wisecracks about
his predicament. Its all
entertaining boys own stuff.

THE WEEK 3 APRIL 2016

Film
If you like your superhero movies fun and frothy,
steer clear of this years most hotly anticipated
blockbuster, said Nick de Semlyen in Empire. In
director Zack Snyders film, Gotham City and
Metropolis are wreathed in shadow and darkness
and Batman (Ben Affleck) is as troubled as ever.
Horribly scarred and deeply paranoid, The Dark
Knight has decided that Supermans building-razing
tendencies make him a threat to civilisation, and is
bent on his destruction. Meanwhile, the Man of
Steels old foe Lex Luthor (a twitchy, babbling Jesse
Eisenberg) is hatching his own dastardly plots. All of
which sets the scene for some explosive, and truly stunning, action set pieces, said David Edwards in
the Daily Mirror. But alas, the movie doesnt offer much else: the plot is so confusing, half the time
youre not even sure which city youre in. A failed attempt to rival Marvels multiple superhero
offerings, this film is a disaster, said Robbie Collin in The Daily Telegraph: meat-headed and
incoherent, it grumbles along for what feels like forever, jinking from subplot to subplot, until two
shatteringly expensive-looking fights happen back to back, and the whole thing crunches to a halt.
This beautifully strange sci-fi chase movie hits the
ground hurtling, said Joe Morgenstern in The Wall
Street Journal. Two men in an old Chevy are racing
across Texas at night with an apparent kidnap victim
on board an eight-year-old boy whos wearing
swimming goggles. But something big and
mysterious is going on: The boy, we learn, has
special powers. Hes been snatched away from a cult
that worshipped him and is also being hunted by the
NSA. One of the kidnappers is his loving father,
providing this Spielbergesque thrillers passionate
core. Writer-director Jeff Nichols, whos now four
films into a special career, seems incapable of making a bad movie, or even an uninteresting one,
said Tim Grierson on NewRepublic.com. Though the maker of Mud still hasnt put a nuanced
female character on screen, his first major studio project feels as personal as any of his previous
works. He coaxes an embarrassment of wonderful performances from his actors, including
youngster Jaeden Lieberher, said Ignatiy Vishnevetsky on AVClub.com.
Krisha, the 60-something anti-heroine of this
astonishing domestic drama, has a mass of springy
gray hair that might as well be a mess of snakes,
said Manohla Dargis in The New York Times. Hers is
the first face we see, staring out at us in a discomfitingly
long shot that inspires dread about whats going to
transpire when she enters her sisters house to join her
large extended family for a Thanksgiving celebration.
The 27-year-old director may be new to this game,
but his feature debut turns out to be an expressionistic
tour de force. He shot it all in nine days at his
mothers house in Texas, casting his aunt Krisha
Fairchild in the lead role, said Robert Adele in the Los Angeles Times. As the title character
accepts half-hugs from relatives, chats uneasily with her adult son, and generally tries to prove
that she can keep it together, laughing is acceptable, cringing is expected, and appreciation
for Krisha Fairchild is a must.

The rewards and hair-raising risks of animated movies

If you want to get rich quick in
films to make. One reason is that
Hollywood, your best bet may be
modern fans of the genre have come
to make an animated film, said Kyle
to expect A-list stars to voice the
Stock on Bloomberg.com. For this,
characters. But the biggest expense is
it turns out, has been by far the most
the animation itself and that can
lucrative movie genre over the past
dictate the storyline. For instance,
decade. Animated films have made
realistic hair is particularly expensive
an average profit of 36% far more
to produce, which is probably why the
than the 26% recouped by the next
characters in last years Minions film
most profitable genre, which is sci-fi/
were virtually bald.
fantasy. No surprise, then, that the big
Yet sometimes bald is just not an
studios are keen to cash in. This year
option, said Peter Crimmins on
will see the release of 16 major
Minions: Profitable NewsWorks.org. In the 2012 hit film
animated features three more
Brave, the heroine Meridas tangle of
than last year.
curly red hair was essential to the character,
But nothing is without risk in the movie
symbolising her rebellious nature. Devising the
business: and animated films are riskier than
algorithms to create it was hard, according to
most, because they are also the most expensive
animator Haley Ivan, but it was worth it.

Obituaries

31

The miners son who wrote A Kestrel for a Knave

him. After that, Hines went back to school, did
his A levels and won a place to study physical
education at Loughborough College. There,
bored one Sunday, he picked up his flatmates
copy of Animal Farm, and, for the first time,
read a novel for pleasure: I know this sounds
a clich but it was like a whole world opening
up, he recalled. Wheels started turning.

Barry Hines, who has died

aged 76, spent more than
four decades writing about
working-class lives, said The Guardian and
though the results were sometimes gloomy
(reality often is), he kept an eye for the decency
and hope in people. His best-known book,
A Kestrel for a Knave, tells the story of Billy
Casper, abused at home and bullied at school,
left to shuffle through life in a ten-bob anorak
and half-mast trousers who finds hope and
meaning by nurturing a wild kestrel. It was an
instant hit, became a staple of the English
school curriculum, and was turned into the
classic film Kes, directed by Ken Loach. At one
point, a Hollywood studio was interested in
remaking the film; but they wanted to change
the ending, so that rather than being killed by
Billys older brother, the kestrel lives. Hines
refused. Hollywood endings, he observed,
rarely happen outside Hollywood.
Barry Hines
1939-2016

In 1966, while working as a PE teacher at a

school in Barnsley, he completed his debut
book The Blinder, one of the first novels about
football. Over the next 30 years or more,
Hines produced a series of novels, plays and
screenplays, including the 1984 multiple Bafta
award-winning docudrama Threads, about a
working-class community in Sheffield enduring
a nuclear winter. An angry man with a sweet
nature, Hines wrote with compressed fury,
about what he knew his own people, and
Hines: Wrote with compressed fury their struggles, said Tony Garnett in The
Guardian. And it was their opinion, not those
of the critics in London, that mattered to him. In 1977, he wrote
Barry Hines was born in 1939, and brought up in the South
a two-part BBC drama called The Price of Coal: directed by Ken
Yorkshire mining village of Hoyland Common. His grandfather
Loach, it was set in a fictional Yorkshire colliery. The day after it
and father had both gone down the mine; the former had been
was broadcast, he recalled getting on a bus that was full of miners
killed in a mining accident. Barry grew up in a miners terrace,
coming off shift. I walked down the aisle and they just looked
with a shared outside WC, and as a child, amused himself by
and said nothing. I was scared to death until one man appointed
sliding down slag heaps, and roaming nearby woods and fields.
A Kestrel for a Knave was inspired by incidents in his own life: his himself spokesman and said, That were all right, Barry.
younger brother, Richard, found and tamed a wild kestrel. But
In his final years, Hines returned, with his second wife, Eleanor,
whereas Billy Casper had an absent father, Hines was devoted to
his family. And although Richard, like Billy, went to the secondary to the village of his youth. With the mines closed and the tips
landscaped, he found it much changed; and yet fundamentally the
modern, Barry won a place at Ecclesfield Grammar School, said
same. Its like Ive never been away, he said at the time. When
The Times, where he excelled at football. Yet aged 16 he left
I went into the local working mens club, after nearly 40 years, the
school, to go down the pit as an apprentice mine surveyor. He
men just said, Ayyup, Barry and went back to their cards. That
wanted, he said, to stick to his roots. But the men at the pit were
quiet acceptance makes me feel at home.
not impressed: Couldnt tha find a better job, one miner chided

The substance-taking Toronto mayor

Rob Ford, who has died aged
48, was a combative former
mayor of Toronto whose
outrageous antics in office caused shock, anger
and considerable merriment. A controversial figure
in Canadian politics for years, Ford reached a peak
of notoriety in 2013, when journalists claimed to
have seen video footage of the then mayor smoking
illegal substances. Eventually, after months of
vigorous denials, he conceded that yes, he probably
had taken them in one of my drunken stupors.
Yet with his popularity undented, the mayor
resisted numerous calls to stand down. And when
he finally gave up his campaign for a second term,
it wasnt because of his drink and substance
dependency, but because he had been diagnosed
with a rare form of cancer.

a filament light bulb, he was quick to make his

mark. What are the four words that people
attending city council meetings most fear to hear
these days, asked a local reporter in 2001. The
answer: Rob Ford to speak. He made numerous
outrageous statements suggesting, for instance,
that Oriental people were taking over, because
they work like dogs launched expletive-laden
tirades at colleagues, and turned up intoxicated to
public events. Even after becoming mayor, in
2010, Ford who described himself as 300lbs
of fun was not much interested in City Hall
business, said The New York Times, and though
he made a lot of noise about the gravy train,
his attempts to cut waste didnt achieve much.

Rob Ford
1969-2016

But he was good at glad-handing, and assiduous

in courting his supporters: he followed up their
complaints about bin collections and the like, and even visited
their homes. Thus he remained popular, even after rumours of his
substance abuse emerged and felt emboldened to remain in
office even after admitting using. In despair, councillors voted to
strip him of all but his ceremonial powers. Undaunted, he was
determined to run for re-election, until he got his cancer diagnosis.
Last year, he admitted hed spent years battling alcoholism and
addiction. People know that I saved a lot of money, and people
are going to know that I had a few personal struggles, he said. So
you can remember it for what you want, but theyre definitely
going to remember it.

Ford: 300lbs of fun

Born in the suburbs of Toronto in 1969, Robert Ford was the

fourth child of Douglas Ford Sr, a politician and adhesive label
magnate, and his wife Diane, a powerful figure in her own right.
The family was wealthy, but troubled, said the National Post:
their eldest son, Randy, was arrested more than a dozen times for
assaults and other offences; Robs big sister, Kathy, has admitted
to illicit substances use; Rob was known as an addict at school,
and in 1999, was arrested for drink-driving. Yet they apparently
regarded themselves as Canadas Kennedys, and in 2000, Rob
Ford won a seat on Torontos city council. Big and bulky,
radiating anger and energy with all the power and inefficiency of

3 APRIL 2016 THE WEEK

32

Best properties

UAE: Stunning Dubai villas

Dubai: Set within the Victory Heights community in

Dubai Sports City this modern villa is ideal for family
living and entertaining. The interior includes custom
ceilings, hardwood flooring, chandeliers, luxury
wallpapers, a designer bathroom and a designer
kitchen. Spanning 767sq.m there are 6 double
bedrooms all with en suite, 2 spacious living areas, a
formal library and a family room. Outside is a private
swimming pool, barbeque area, staff accommodation
and private parking and garage.
Price on application; Knight Frank (+971 4) 4267 610.

Europe: Holiday homes in France

Rhne-Alpes: Chalet, St Gervais les Bains, Haute-Savoie. A beautifully
renovated chalet and guest apartment connected by an underground
tunnel, with fine views of Mont Blanc. Main chalet: 4 suites, kitchen,
living room, dining room, bar, home theatre, office, wine cellar, ski room,
store; guest chalet: 2 suites. Gym, Jacuzzi, garage parking for two cars,
garden. Ref: RSI160007.
$3.29m; Knight Frank (+44 20) 7861 1727.

Rhne-Alpes: Morillon, Haute-Savoie. A superb ski in/ski

out alpine chalet right on the slopes of Morillon 1100,
Grand Massif, just an hour from Geneva and 200m from
the nearest ski lift. The chalet is currently used as a longstanding and successful chalet business, in a snow-sure
location. 10 beds, 9 baths, kitchen, open-plan large recep,
terrace. Ref: IFR004778.
$1.37m; John D. Wood & Co (+44 20) 3151 5638.

THE WEEK 3 APRIL 2016

on the market

33
Dubai: This
Signature-style villa
occupies a delightful
beachfront location
on Dubais Palm
Jumeirah. The 4-bed
residence features
grand interiors and
lavish details
including designer
chandeliers, striking
ceiling and column
designs and luxurious
baths and furnishings.
The property also
comprises 2 master
suites with built-in
wardrobes, powder
room and en suite
with rainfall shower
and bath. Outside is
a private swimming
pool and wellmaintained garden
with gazebo. The villa
has a private garage
and enjoys access to
the beach and to
nearby hotels, resorts
and restaurants.
$10.8m; Lyndsey
Redstone, Core, UAE
associate of Savills,
(+971 4) 423 9933.

Midi-Pyrnes: Chateau, Tarn. Built in the 1850s and hidden

away next to a meandering river, this chateau has been fully
restored in recent years, retaining many original features. Master
suite with sitting room, 4 further suites, kitchen/dining room, 2
receps, back kitchen/utility, study/office, laundry, attic space with
potential for conversion, 2-bed gte, swimming pool, gardens,
grounds, 10 acres. Ref: 102.
$1.23m; Winkworth (+44 20) 7870 7181.
Dordogne: House in Aquitaine. A
fairy-tale renovated house in a hamlet
in the heart of Black Perigord, with
views over the Vzre Valley. Tower
master bed, 1 further bed, family
bath, kitchen/dining room, 1 recep,
laundry room with shower, office,
veranda, geothermal heating, terrace,
garden, store, exterior WC, wooden
chalet, swimming pool, 4.5 acres.
Ref: 61822PVD24.
$390,900; Leggett (+33 5) 535 66254.

Paris: Duplex Apartment, Le Marais,

4th arrondissement. Just a few steps
from the Place des Vosges, this flat is set
on the third and fourth floors of this
17th century building, with views over
the Marais and Paris skyline. The
apartment is in need of moderate
renovation. 4 beds, 2 baths, kitchen,
large recep, office.
$2.19m; Sphere Estates
(+44 20) 3617 1360.

3 APRIL 2016 THE WEEK

LEISURE
Food & Drink

34

Antonio Carluccios minestrone di verdure

2 litres chicken or beef stock
about 1kg vegetables (see above),

prepared and cubed

150g dried tubettini pasta
1 x 400g can borlotti beans, drained
3 tbsp fresh pesto
salt and pepper, to taste
40g Parmesan, freshly grated

Put the oil in a pan and fry the garlic

and onion for a few minutes. Add the
stock and prepared vegetables, and
cook for about 12 minutes.
This minestrone is influenced by those
served in Lombardy and Liguria, says
Antonio Carluccio, but you will find
similar soups throughout Italy. Most
minestroni use bits and pieces of
vegetables left in the fridge, such as
courgette, aubergine, carrot, celery,
cabbage, quartered Brussels sprouts, etc.

You could throw in some potatoes too,

to make it thicker

Recipe of the week

4 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped

Add the pasta and drained beans, and

cook until tender, about another 6-7
minutes, then remove from the heat.
Mix in the pesto and salt and pepper to
taste, and heat very gently. Serve
straight away, sprinkled with Parmesan.
You could also use rice instead of pasta,
or any other shape of pasta. Serves 4.

Taken from Pasta by Antonio Carluccio, published by Quadrille.

Dickie Fitz

Bouley

48 Newman Street, London W1,

UK (+44 20) 3667 1445

163 Duane Street, New York, US

(+1 212) 964 2525

This splendid new eating house

No, Bouley is not trendy, said
on the site of the former
Pete Wells in The New York
Newman Street Tavern in
Times. David Bouleys flagship
Fitzrovia has a commanding
Lower Manhattan restaurant still
presence, says John Walsh in
seduces diners much in the way it
The Independent. You walk
did when it opened almost 30
into a fabulously light and airy
years ago. Ripening apples still
dining room, with white walls,
line the walls of the entrance,
wooden floors and bananafilling the air with a yeasty smell
yellow seating. Lights like
that readies you for the warm
huge, electrified dandelions
dining room beyond. Yes, its
hang from the ceiling, and
faintly silly the gold-leaf
Serendipity 3
theres a beautiful art deco
vaulted ceiling and the crushed
Festival Mall, Festival City, Dubai, UAE (+971 4) 455 1666 velour everywhere. But the
stained-glass staircase. All this
puts quite a lot of pressure on
stagecraft works, and Bouley
the Pacific Rim food to live up
Oprah Winfrey, Cher and Beyonc are all rumoured to be fans himself remains a singular
to the setting, and in terms of
celebrity chef: He takes paths
of the original Serendipity 3 in Hollywood, and now its first
starters and finishers, it does.
branch outside of the US has opened in Dubai ready to bring nobody else is on, and walks
We had wonderful chicken
its trademark lavish desserts and American grub to the Middle farther along them than anyone
poppers (cubes of thigh meat,
East masses, said Whats On Dubai. The restaurants dcor is else would. For example, chicken
fried very fast and served with a
baked over alfalfa and hay
1950s ice cream parlour meets Mad Hatters tea party.
sesame oil, soy, chilli and garlic
sounds like a punishment; it is
The waiter insisted that we tried their Frrrozen Hot
dip); outstanding crudits
nearer to magic. And the Malibu
Chocolate. It was delicious, but so filling that wed
served on ice; and a heavenly
recommend saving it for dessert. For starter, we couldnt sea urchin is surely New Yorks
tuna tataki with wasabi and
get enough of the Wild West wings but unfortunately, the most dramatic dish: a delicate
daikon radish. For dessert, a
layering of briny, creamy, and
loaded potato skins were a little dry. For mains, the
chocolate fondant was lifted
tart components cupped in the
mammoth BBQ & Blue beef burger was right on
to paradise by salted peanut
urchins spiky, medieval-looking
point. Sadly however, the stateside salmon salad was
puree and creamy burnt
shell. Service at todays Bouley
disappointingly soggy. Wed go back but wed just
marshmallow. Yet main courses
can be haphazard, and a couple
skip the salad next time.
(lobster and steamed
of dishes feel slightly tired. But
barramundi) were a touch bland. Even so, I liked
Bouley is a restaurant for romantics and sensualists, and
Dickie Fitz immensely.
on the right night, it flirts with perfection.
THE WEEK 3 APRIL 2016

Travel

LEISURE 35

Trekking off the beaten track

Three Capes Track, Tasmania

and your own kit to tackle

this challenging terrain on
Port Arthur was no ordinary
spirited horses that know the
prison, says Paul Bloomfield in
land like the back of their
The Daily Telegraph. Founded in
hooves. The landscape is
1830 on Tasmanias isolated
wildly beautiful, changing in a
southeastern coast, it housed only
moment from bog to brook to
the most hardened of lags from
endless sweeping moor, and
a population largely made up of
its a long, tiring day in the
convicts. Now a grimly fascinating
saddle even with a lunch break
historical site, its also the place to
of sandwiches, cake and tea (and
catch a boat to a new walking trail,
carrots and apples for the horses).
The Three Capes Track, a
By the end youll feel privileged to
moderate 29-mile route
have explored the moors and
following a winding coastal
will be walking like a cowboy
pathway. The 75-minute boat ride
for a week. Liberty Trails
brings you to a gorgeous slice of
(liberty-trails.com) has two days
beach bounded by jade-coloured
Surveyors hut situated along the Three Capes Track
guided riding from $1,350pp
sea and hills clad in dense gum
(incl. meals and three nights accommodation).
forest. Posts mark out the track; from here on, you have to keep
an eye out for snakes, but theres plenty of non-venomous wildlife
to spot, too, including wombats and wallabies. Sculptures along
Driving the Costa de la Luz
the way offer creative interpretations on varied themes from
Southern Spains Doana National Park on the Costa de la Luz is
punishment to wombat droppings (which are cube-shaped). The
a delight for birdwatchers, says Helen Ochyra in The Times.
walk takes three days and is not demanding, but there are a
This road-free wetland region is a vast puddle that advances
couple of testing ascents. Theyre rewarded by soaring views of
and recedes with the seasons. Spring is the best time to go, when
precipitous cliffs and pounding surf and a real sense of the
bulrushes bloom into a nesting site for herons and flamingos,
ends-of-the-Earthness of this place. Tasmanian Odyssey
and the shallow waters support herds of fallow deer. On arrival,
(tasmanianodyssey.com) has 14 nights b&b, including the threeyou may find a lot of cars in the car parks, yet youre unlikely to
night Three Capes Track and car hire from $1,660(excl. flights).
see another soul. This place is so big that everyone ends up in
their own slice of silence, be it in the forest or at the beach. The
latter is why most people come. It is epic. Here, the Atlantic is
Cowboys on Dartmoor
firmly in charge. Sand dunes have been sculpted by the
Riding a horse through Dartmoor can feel not unlike the Wild
sweeping winds. There are no sunloungers or ice-cream vans:
West, says Chlo Hamilton in The Independent. The moor,
on this part of the Spanish coast, the beaches are untamed
covering nearly 1,000km in South Devon, is a land shrouded in
and untended. Paradores in Spain (parador.es/en) has
fog and mystery; impenetrable and sometimes spooky. Youre
a range of accommodation options. Hire a car from Seville
unlikely to encounter any Baskerville hounds on a guided
Western riding adventure, but you will need equine experience from $17 a day through carrentals.co.uk.

A luxury escape in the Indian Ocean

Three hundred islands floating in
the Bay of Bengal, the Andamans
are perfectly, heart-singingly
beautiful and lovely, says Martin
Hemming in The Sunday Times.
They are remote, and most are
uninhabited, or impossible to visit.
The only known island is probably
North Sentinel famous for being
home to uncontacted tribes who
remain deeply hostile to outsiders:
anyone who lands on its shores is
likely to be greeted by volleys of
arrows. Havelock Island, by contrast, has no indigenous population and was
thought to be inhabited by Bengali Hindus after Partition in 1947. The only
Andaman geared up to show tourists a good time, the island is reached by
catamaran (or rusting government ferry) from the capital, Port Blair a twohour flight from Chennai. On first impressions, Havelock (pictured) offers the
clichd holiday-island schtick but, unlike the Maldives, it feels like, and is, a
real place rather than a resort. Actual people live here, not just employees of
the hospitality trade. You might share your morning tuk-tuk with a skinny kid in
his baggy school uniform.Jalakara is a luxury retreat set on a forested hillside,
that opened last October. Owned by Mark Hill, a big Brit with a beard, it has
a mix of modern and traditional design, and rooms that are filled with highly
nickable trinkets and Indian art. This is not finger-clicking luxury theres no
Wi-Fi or room service but here, where the beaches are insanely wonderful
and tourists are few, any lack of modernity can only be seen as a bonus.
Ampersand Travel (ampersandtravel.com) has trips for eight nights.

Hotel of the week

Wequassett Resort and Golf Club
Harwich, Massachusetts, US
Many Cape Cod resorts offer sweeping Atlantic
views, but only one has an official five-star
rating, said Christopher Muther in The Boston
Globe. Forbes Travel Guide recently awarded
that rankingheld by just 153 other hotels
around the worldto the 72-year-old
Wequassett. Renovated in 2014, the 120-unit
resort on Pleasant Bay has accommodations
that include luxury suites and cozy clapboard
cottages. The property also has four gourmet
restaurants, two pools, tennis and volleyball
courts, and a championship-quality golf course.
wequassett.com; doubles from $250

3 APRIL 2016 THE WEEK

36 LEISURE

Consumer
The best fitness gear

GoRuck GR1

If spinning is your thing, but the trip

to the gym is not, the Peloton bike
could be a good match for you. The
built-in tablet streams live classes from
New Yorks Peloton flagship location for
$39 a month.
$1,995, pelotoncycle.com

Rucking or walking with a weighted

pack on your back was the big new
thing in fitness last year, and this bag
set the bar for comfort and durability.
Rucking torches calories, increases
athleticism, and fights back pain, all
while encouraging you to get outside
the gym.
$295, goruck.com

SOURCE: DIGITALTRENDS.COM

SOURCE: MENS HEALTH

Peloton Bike

Crossrope

Crossrope is like a jump rope on

steroids. The system combines
durable handles with weighted cables
that are easily interchanged. Use the
lighter cables to develop speed and
endurance, and the three-pounder to
build strength and power.

From $69, crossrope.com

SOURCE: MENS HEALTH

HyperIce Hypersphere

Speed post-workout recovery times

with this grapefruit-size vibrating
ball from a company that previously
pioneered new technologies for icing.
The Hypersphere can more precisely
target sore muscles than a vibrating
roller can, and it offers three
speed settings.
$149, hyperice.com
SOURCE: SPORTSILLUSTRATED.COM

Tips of the week... How to

overcome common fears

Sklz Quick Ladder

Umoro Shaker Bottle

Drills with an agility ladder can make

any athlete quicker and nimbler, and
this 15-footer packs easily for workouts
on the road wherever your schedule
takes you.
$30, sklz.com

The cap of this snazzy leak-proof

travel bottle is made to hold a scoop of
protein powder or other drink mix. Use
the bottle for water all day, and when
youre ready for your protein shake,
just press a button to release it.
$29, umoro.com

SOURCE: HICONSUMPTION.COM

SOURCE: LIFEHACKER.COM

Best apps... For running

a startup business

Where to find Unusual

places to stay in the UK

Flying: First, know the odds of going

down are about one in 11 million. If
youre anxious about an upcoming flight,
start practicing deep-breathing exercises
a few days in advance so youll have a
way to calm yourself. At some airports,
you can find therapy sessions that
culminate in an actual flight.
Lightning: You want to be smart in an
electrical storm, not panicky. To tame a
fear of lightning or many other phobias
consider virtual-reality exposure
therapy, which involves facing your fears
in a VR headset.
Spiders and snakes: Therapies involving
direct exposure to the objects of
your fears are widely available, too,
through behavioural therapists. On a
single session, many patients go from
observing a caged spider to petting
a tarantula.
Elevators: Breathing techniques can help
calm elevator anxiety, which is often
caused by claustrophobia.

Slack is a messaging app that lets users

set up or participate in multiple group
chats, making team communication
a snap. Its easy to attach images and
other files to a message, or to search
the archive of past discussions.
Yaldi helps you monitor key performance
indicators, including cash flow,
inventory, and customer-acquisition
costs. It suggests priorities based on the
industry youre in and provides regular
feedback and reminders.
Perch pulls together all the activity
occurring on your companys social media
sites, making it easier to get out your
message and monitor customer response.
Perka lets you set up loyalty programmes
for your online customers. If every 10th
widget purchased is free, Perka will
make sure the client gets that perk.
Invoice2go lets you quickly create
an electronic invoice, then emails it
instantly to the customer and saves a
copy for your files.

X-ray Zulu 676, a converted helicopter at

the Ream Hills holiday park near Blackpool,
packs quite a bit in. Adults sleep in the
tail, while children get a pull-out bunk but
loos are in a nearby block (from $140 a
night; reamhills.co.uk).
Shire House, a two-bedroom farm cottage
in North Yorkshire, seems to have come
from the pages of a Tolkien book. It has
a grass roof, bright yellow exterior and
circular stained-glass windows (from $920
for three nights; northshire.co.uk).
House in the Clouds in Suffolk is a
converted five-storey water tower with a
miniature house perched on top. There is
a bedroom on each storey of the tower,
and a communal room at the top (from
$3,000 a week, houseintheclouds.co.uk).
Beach Cottage on the Suffolk coast is
known as the loo with a view: the
one-bedroom cottage used to be a
public lavatory block. Its just 200 metres
from the beach (from $380 a week;
thesuffolkcoast.co.uk).

SOURCE: BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS

SOURCE: THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

SOURCE: THE TIMES

THE WEEK 3 APRIL 2016

Consumer

LEISURE 37

The 2017 Mercedes-Benz SL: What the critics say

Car and Driver
Mercedes-Benzs signature roadster has reclaimed its standing
as an icon of style. The reworked sixth-generation model
isnt as pretty as the 1960s two-seater that established the cars
legacy, but its new face looks as distinctive as it is elegant,
and the headlights no longer appear to be suffering from a
horrendous case of pinkeye. The SL still has the unfortunate
rear end and rather nondescript interior that buyers have
been putting up with since 2012. Still, the 2017 is an altogether
better-looking car.
Automobile
The improvements arent merely cosmetic. A power boost has
triggered a change in nomenclature: The entry-level model
is now an SL450 that pairs a twin-turbocharged six-cylinder
engine with a new nine-speed transmission. The V8-powered
SL550 will be the bread-and-butter SL, with performance
models selling at a much slower rate. Surprisingly, the lighter
450 is arguably the most enjoyable SL on a twisty road.

AKG Y50BT Relatively good value

for wireless headphones, these sound
just as impressive as their wired
counterparts and they come with
a cable, which you can use if
the battery runs out. Available
in a silver, black or blue finish
(around $180; akg.com).

Sennheiser Momentum Wireless

The latest version of the popular
wireless headphones sound superb
as they should do at this price. They
benefit from Sennheisers effective
noise-cancelling technology,
and can be used to take calls if
theyre plugged into your phone (around
$540; sennheiser.com).

The best upmarket headphones

Autoweek
The 450 even sounds great, with a raspy, mean exhaust note
when you choose to drive in Sport Plus mode. Of course, every
SL is still a big, 2-ton roadster, built to put passengers at ease
wherever it goes. Eighty mph feels more like 40 mph in this
car, and the cabin is a very comfortable place to spend many
long hours driving.

Bowers & Wilkins P5 These

elegant wireless headphones
from the respected British
speaker manufacturer produce a
subtle, detailed sound. Theyre
also comfortable to wear
although theyre not great
at blocking out other
noises (around $350;
bowers-wilkins.co.uk).

Sony MDR-EX650AP If you

prefer wearing in-ear
headphones, the awardwinning MDR-EX650APs
are hard to fault. Boasting
superb sound quality, theyre
ultra comfortable and theyre
made from brass, which helps
reduce unwanted resonance
(around $85; sony-mea.com).

And for those who have everything

Plot your international travels or

world domination with the help of this
cork globe. Measuring 25cm wide,
it comes with pins so you can mark
each destination. Theres also a smaller,
14cm model.

The Marcel Wanders Lounge Chair for

Louis Vuitton can be carried around like a
suitcase. The chairs four leather-wrapped
carbon modules can be configured as an
armchair, a pouf, or as shown. Available
by special order worldwide.

The Stache Shield, created by three

Swedish friends, addresses a handful of
moustache challenges. It straps under
the nose while drinking or eating and
keeps whiskers free of grease, crumbs,
and latte foam.

$140; suck.uk.com

Price upon request, marcelwanders.com

$20, stacheshield.com

SOURCE: THE TIMES

SOURCE: ROBBREPORT.COM

SOURCE: TRENDHUNTER.COM

3 APRIL 2016 THE WEEK

SOURCES: GQ/THE INDEPENDENT/

WHAT HI-FI?/STUFF

Bose QuietComfort 25
The benchmark for noise
cancellation, the QC25s
are ideal for commuting
and travelling. Solidly built,
they sound crisp and sit
snugly on the ear
(around $380; bose.com).

Shares

38 BUSINESS

Whos tipping what

The weeks best buys

Directors dealings

M&C Saatchi
Investors Chronicle
The advertising agency is
fuelling robust growth by
signing big clients, including
Samsung and Airbus,
expanding overseas through
stake-building, and rolling out
popular new services. Yields
a decent 2.9%. Buy. 315p.

Next
The Times
Shares in the fashion and
homewares retailer have fallen
15%. This looks wildly
overdone, leaving shares too
cheap. Margins are 16.9% and
the return forecast this year is
200m in special dividends.
Buy. 56.35.

Firestone Diamonds
London Evening Standard
Panmure Gordon is impressed
by the diamond explorer and
miners interim numbers, and
is particularly cheered that the
Liqhobong mine in Lesotho
remains on target. It
names a target price of 27p.
Buy. 20p.

Micro Focus
The Daily Telegraph
Micro Focus sells high-margin,
essential software to regulated
sectors such as banking and
telecoms. It has a good track
record and a growing share
price, and should benefit from
the acquisition of Serena
Software. Buy. 15.37.

Tritax Big Box REIT

Investors Chronicle
Tritax invests in distribution
warehouses, where demand
now far exceeds supply as
consumers change habits and
buy online. The portfolio
valuation has doubled and
rental income has jumped.
Yields 4.5%. Buy. 133.9p.

International
Consolidated Airlines
650

600

550

CEO buys
50,000

500

450

Oct

Nov

Dec

Jan

Feb

Mar

Boss Willie Walsh has shown

his faith in the British Airways
and Iberia owners renewed
rally, snapping up shares
worth some 270,000. Margins
rose last year, securing the
dividend, and the Aer Lingus
purchase and low oil price
should further boost earnings.

and some to sell

Form guide

Ashmore Group
The Sunday Times
This emerging markets investment manager has suffered
from slowing Chinese growth
and tanking commodity prices.
Shares have jumped on a
commodities rebound, but the
pressure is still on. Take profits.
Sell. 274.6p.

GlaxoSmithKline
Investors Chronicle
The struggling pharma giant
has announced the departure
of long-standing CEO Sir
Andrew Witty, in March 2017.
The delay tactic is likely to
create a power vacuum as
candidates fight for the top job.
Sell. 13.94p.

Jimmy Choo
Investors Chronicle
The high-end shoe retailer is
reliant on wobbly Asia for
the bulk of its sales growth;
and conditions remain challenging in the US and Europe.
Store conversions and openings
have hit profits; shares are
overrated. Sell. 130p.

Centamin
The Times
Centamins Sukari mine has
nearly reached full potential,
and costs are falling. There is
no certainty that the gold
miner will find another
producing asset, and shares are
at their highest since 2012.
Take profits. Sell. 89.25p.

Gulf Keystone Petroleum

Investors Chronicle
Gulf faces political instability
in Iraq, an imminent stand-off
with debt holders, and
ongoing low oil prices. The oil
producer admits significant
doubt over its ability to
continue as a going concern.
Sell. 7.3p.

Weir Group
Investors Chronicle
The valve and pump maker is
threatened by falling orders as
cash-strapped customers in the
oil and gas and mining sectors
continue to slash budgets.
The dividend is vulnerable
and shares face a derating.
Sell. 11.27.

Shares tipped 12 weeks ago

Best tip
Hill & Smith
Investors Chronicle
up 23.69% to 872p
Worst tip
Sophos Group
The Times
down 15.35% to 218.40p

Market view
In all the decades I have
studied the stock market,
I [cant] recall a single
time when the pundits have
had so little idea where it is
going next.
Martin Waller in The Times

Market summary
Key
Key numbers
numbers for investors
investors
FTSE 100
FTSE All-share UK
Dow Jones
NASDAQ
Nikkei 225
Hang Seng
Gold
Brent Crude Oil
DIVIDEND YIELD (FTSE 100)
UK 10-year gilts yield
US 10-year Treasuries
UK ECONOMIC DATA
Latest CPI (yoy)
Latest RPI (yoy)
Halifax house price (yoy)
1 STERLING

29 Mar 2016
6105.90
3358.47
17499.98
4787.05
17103.53
20366.30
1221.00
39.33
4.08%
1.55
1.88
0.3% (Feb)
1.3% (Feb)
+9.7% (Feb)

$1.439 g1.272 161.611

THE WEEK 3 APRIL 2016

Best
shares
Best and
and worst
worst performing shares
Week before
6184.58
3396.95
17643.28
4809.51
16724.81
20684.15
1244.00
41.39
4.03%
1.60
1.91
0.3% (Jan)
1.1% (Jan)
+9.7% (Jan)

Change (%)
1.27%
1.13%
0.81%
0.47%
2.26%
1.54%
1.92%
4.98%

WEEKS CHANGE, FTSE 100 STOCKS

RISES
Price
371.40
Kingfisher
3550.00
Carnival
6130.00
DCC
3267.00
Berkeley Group HDG.
833.50
Mediclinic Intl.

% change
+5.93
+2.72
+2.42
+2.19
+2.14

FALLS
5635.00
14.56
Next
479.10
13.41
Anglo American
439.45
11.17
Standard Chartered
143.80
10.04
Glencore
454.00
8.78
Antofagasta
BEST AND WORST UK STOCKS OVERALL
4.97
+452.78
Ascent Resources
8.49
80.48
Intelligent Energy HDG
Source: Datastream (not adjusted for dividends). Prices on 29 Mar (pm)

Following the Footsie

6,600

6,400

6,200

6,000

5,800

5,600

5,400

Oct

Nov

Dec

Jan

Feb

Mar

6-month movement in the FTSE 100 index

SOURCE: INVESTORS CHRONICLE

Centrica
Investors Chronicle
Falling wholesale gas prices
have hammered the energy
supplier. But the US business is
fast-growing, and a strategic
overhaul and new smart
products should help Centrica
stand out from rivals. Yields
over 5%. Buy. 226.5p.

ESSENTIALLY
MARCO
M ARCO P IERRE WH ITE
SHARE S HIS FAVOURITE RECIPES

AVA I L A B L E I N A L L G O O D B O O K S TO R E S A N D AT B O O K S A R A B I A . C O M
SPONSORED BY

40

BUSINESS
Companies in the news
...and how they were assessed

Al Jazeera: Channel to axe 500 jobs

The Qatari broadcaster is making more than a tenth of its

workforce redundant, with its Doha headquarters bearing the
brunt of staffing cuts, reported the BBC. Al Jazeeras acting
director-general, Mostefa Souag, said: Over the past few
months, we have carefully evaluated every option available to
the network in order to ensure that we are best positioned in
light of the large-scale changes under way in the global media
landscape. Souag added that the networks aim was to evolve
the companys operations in order to maintain a leading
position and continue [the networks] recognised commitment
to high-quality, independent and hard-hitting journalism around
the world. The announcement comes at a time when many oil rich countries in the
region are cutting costs and launching economic reforms, said The Wall Street
Journal. Launched in 1996 with the backing of Qatars then ruler, Sheikh Hamid bin
Khalifa Al Thani, Al Jazeera won respect for its measured coverage of Middle Eastern
affairs. Ten years later, it introduced Al Jazeera English, hiring a number of senior BBC
journalists. Recently however, the TV station drew criticism from several governments
and commentators for perceived bias and limited coverage of the Arab Spring, said the
newspaper. Its US venture, Al Jazeera America in which it invested an estimated $2bn
in an attempt to break the US cable market will also close this month, less than three
years since it went live.

Tata Steel: What price Port Talbot?

When Tata acquired the Anglo-Dutch steel maker Corus, in 2007, it was seen as a
bold move for an Indian firm, said Yogita Limaye on BBC News online. But with
steel prices on the floor, and fears of Chinese steel being dumped on world markets at
unrealistically low prices, the fate of its steel plant in Port Talbot Britains largest
now depends on decisions made at a crunch board meeting in Mumbai this week. Local
managers have come up with a turnaround plan to save the loss-making plant; and Tata,
which has invested $430m in the plant over the past four years, will be wary of pulling
the plug: it likes to be seen as a firm that cares for its employees. Its possible Port Talbot
might find a new owner, said Christopher Williams in The Daily Telegraph. After all,
Tatas negotiations to sell its Scunthorpe steelworks to investment firm Greybull Capital
are reportedly still on track. The trouble is that the steel made in Port Talbot strip
products is the same as that made in Tatas IJmuiden plant in the Netherlands. So
selling it would create a new rival in Tatas own backyard making closure a preferable
option. The odds appear stacked against a rescue plan.

Anbang/Marriott: Hotel battle

Dealmakers have dubbed it the fiercest bidding war in recent years, and this week the
battle for Starwood Hotels and Resorts owner of the Sheraton, W Hotels and St. Regis
brands stepped up a notch, said City AM. The Chinese insurer Anbang has increased
its bid for the US company to $14bn trumping a raised $13.6bn offer from Marriott
International. The Starwood board remains in favour of an all-American merger with
Marriott, noted Alexandra Frean in The Times. Accepting the rival offer would mean
paying Marriott a $650m break fee. But in any case, Marriott looks the safer suitor. The
Chinese financial journal Caixin recently reported that regulators could block Anbangs
hotel-buying spree, because it may be in breach of rules that prevent local insurers from
investing more than 15% of their assets overseas. Anbang appears to be trying to build
itself into a financial conglomerate along the lines of Warren E. Buffetts Berkshire
Hathaway, said Steven Davidoff Solomon in The New York Times. Chairman Wu
Xiaohui seems confident he will prevail. But it should surely ring warning bells that the
funding comes from selling high-yield investment products to Chinese citizens. Weve
seen this story many times before, and it typically doesnt end well.

Oasis Tourism: A mirage in the Omani desert

Nearly a year ago, in April 2015, a press conference was held in Muscat announcing a
gigantic $6bn tourism project, said Gulf News. The project, called Oasis Tourism, was
masterminded by Omani businessman Sabaa Al Saadi, and was to include five and
seven star hotels, an international sports hospital, a health club, villas, chalets, a yacht
port, a mosque and a shopping mall, on the countrys northwest coast. Following an
investigation into Oasis Tourism however, it has been revealed that the project is actually
fake, and simply does not exist. Omans minister of tourism Ahmad Al Meherzi
made the announcement last Monday, following investigations in the legitimacy of the
project. He sited a drop in oil prices that had impacted tourism and investment, but did
not elaborate on the project further.

THE WEEK 3 APRIL 2016

Gulf business

Dubai conglomerate Majid Al Futtaim

posted a 28.7% increase in net profit last
year, due in part to higher valuations of
its investment properties. The groups net
profit attributable to equity holders rose
to $890m last year from $680m in 2014,
the company said.
Clearing members can now deposit
cash collateral in Euros, UK pounds and
Japanese yen, as well as in UAE dirhams
and US dollars, said the Dubai
Commodities Clearing Corporation.
The Saudi economy is showing the strain
of cheap oil, a Bloomberg survey has
found. Growth may slow to 1.5% this
year, according to its median estimate,
the most sluggish rate seen since 2009.
Owners of small-to medium-sized
businesses (SMEs) will no longer face
criminal charges for bouncing cheques,
UAE banks have announced. Under the
initiative, prompted by rising levels
of default, debtors will have 15 days
in which to plan restructuring with
creditors, followed by a 90-day grace
period in which they neednt fear travel
bans or prosecution.
Hotel management firm StayWell
plans to enter Saudi Arabia. The
Australian company has signed an
agreement to open and operate two
Park Regis properties in Mecca, it
revealed on Monday. The buildings,
set to open in 2018, will have 344 and
286 rooms respectively.

New Dubai airport charge

From 30 June this year, travellers will have
to pay for the privilege of using airports in
Dubai, reported Gulf Business. According
to an executive council resolution,
announced last week, all passengers
departing from airports in the emirate will
have to pay a $10 fee. Those exempt from
the new charge include babies (under the
age of two), cabin crew, and those
transiting through the airport whose
arrival and departure flight number is the
same. Airlines that operate in Dubai airports
will be tasked with collecting the money,
which means the charge is likely to be
simply added to the cost of tickets.The new
fee will be transferred to Dubai Airports
and subsequently to the Dubai
government public treasury.

Commentators
Executive pay
is damaging
capitalism
Merryn Somerset Webb
MoneyWeek.com

Good riddance
to the gig
economy
Steven Hill
Salon.com

Boris has hired

the wrong
Brexit adviser
Sebastian Mallaby
The Times

A generation
going for
goalzzz
Robert Shrimsley
Financial Times

I recently interviewed a FTSE 100 CEO who justified his $2.9m

pay on grounds that lots of other people running companies are
paid more, says Merryn Somerset Webb. Thats undoubtedly
true the average FTSE 100 CEO makes $6.6m but I wanted
to know if he thought his pay was too much. Not really, he said.
And anyway, it is set by a committee. Everywhere you look,
business leaders are showing the same tin ear. Take Lord
Browne: in a new book, he attacks what Americans call pay for
pulse getting piles of money just for being there yet makes no
mention of the $31.7m pension pot he accrued at BP on top of his
vast pay packet. WPP chief Martin Sorrells whopping $1.1bn pay
cheque is defended on the grounds that he set the group up, yet
that hardly washes now it is stock market-listed. Capitalism is
amazing. But it only works while it makes us all better off and
crucially is seen to be doing so. These insanely high pay
awards, in difficult economic times, jeopardise the reality and the
perception with serious consequences for the social fabric.
The recent implosion of SpoonRocket an on-demand meal
delivery service reflects the white dwarf fate of many once
luminous sharing economy start-ups, says Steven Hill. Launched
with much fanfare, and millions in venture capital, theyre now
disappearing in droves. Why? Because their Ayn Rand-inspired
vision contains major flaws. Founders of firms such as
TaskRabbit, which let vulnerable workers auction themselves to
the lowest bidder for short-term gigs, thought they could foment
an employment revolution. But they failed to consider that the
precarious life of a gig entrepreneur is not for everyone; and
once the workers who signed up with them discovered the pitfalls
unpredictable demand, low overall pay, no security the
competent ones quit. Customers ended up paying for bad or
unreliable service, and they left too. If these companies have
any hope of prospering, they must, for a start, realise that their
workers are as essential to their success, and not just another
ore to be fed into their machine. The old lesson (one Uber seems
determined to learn the hard way) is you get what you pay for.
Boris Johnsons optimism about the economics of Brexit is
contradicted by studies from the CBI, the London School of
Economics and Oxford Economics, says Sebastian Mallaby. More
remarkably, it is barely supported by the London Mayors own
economic adviser, Gerard Lyons, whose writings hilariously
capture the confusions within the Brexit camp. In a study called
London: The Global Powerhouse, Lyons makes so many points
on the Remain side that it sounds like an advertisement for
staying in the union. Britains economy, he notes, has flourished
as a result of being open to Europe: London is HQ to 40% of
Europes top companies; and 60% of non-European global firms
have made it their base within the bloc. His analysis of the
economic impact of Brexit runs along similar lines: he admits that
a Leave vote would depress London for two years then pivots
by arguing that it should be tested against a 20-year forecast. Yet
Lyons knows that 20-year prognostications cannot possibly be
precise. Is the Mayor harbouring a closet Remainer?
Any adult with an ear for urban teen speak will be familiar
with the concept of goals, or rather, goalzzz, says Robert
Shrimsley. The word essentially meaning, arent we great?,
or if offered to others, arent you great? has become a
ubiquitous seal of approval on any Instagram or Snapchat feed.
Teenagers instinctively understand that social media is more about
self-projection and status than general communication and that
the number of likes garnered by your latest post is a key
measure of social success. And they are adept at using
communication tools as weapons. What better training could
there be for office politics? Strategies to maximise likes and
followers are simply an early version of the battle to meet key
performance indicators. Ah yes, Jenkins, we are looking for a
15% uplift in your followers this year. While those of us already
in offices are learning to use social media in our careers, those
born to it are subliminally being trained in the arts of the office.
By the time they graduate, we will have spawned a nation of
goalzzz-oriented communications professionals.

NEWS 41
City profiles
Andy Grove
The former Intel boss, who
has died aged 79, was less
well-known to the wider
public than other Silicon
Valley titans such as Steve
Jobs, Larry Ellison and Mark
Zuckerberg, says The Daily
Telegraph. But he was
revered by all of them as
one of the true creators of
the digital era. Grove didnt
found Intel, but he was the
chipmakers first employee,
joining in 1968, and under
his forceful leadership it
grew into one of the worlds
largest companies by
market value. Grove drove
the business forward in
a manner that could be
brutally direct. One former
executive described being
personally mentored by him
as like going to the dentist
and not getting novocaine.

Andrs Grf was born into

a middle-class Jewish family
in Budapest in 1936. Aged
four, he developed scarlet
fever, which nearly killed
him and which left him
partially deaf. Aged eight,
he had to go into hiding to
escape the Nazis (his father
was sent to a labour camp);
he then endured Hungarys
postwar communist regime.
In 1956, however, he was
able to flee to the US, where
he changed his name and
trained as a technologist
before emerging as a
management genius.
Grove popularised the idea
of a strategic inflection
point a time in the life
of a business when its
fundamentals are about to
change, said John Gapper
in the FT. The title of his
best-known book, Only the
Paranoid Survive, gives
a good indication of the
lesson he wanted to impart.
His lasting message was
never relax, never stop
evolving because just
around the corner, someone
is coming for you.

3 APRIL 2016 THE WEEK

SHORTLIST
ANNOUNCED

ON TUESDAY 12th APRIL

To view the full list, visit

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Winners will be awarded

at the gala dinner on
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Crossword

43

THE WEEK CROSSWORD 101

ACROSS

DOWN

9
10
11
12
13
16
17
18
20
22
24
25
26

Capacity to accept opposing beliefs,

possibly both unliked (11)
Sixty minutes alongside one beautiful
young woman (5)
What sea dogs wont find for
relief! (4,5)
Its rumoured tango dance has
authority (4,3)
More annoying exercises by one going
downhill? (7)
Charts impact on row of shops (3,6)
Queen not entirely backing a
republic! (5)
Half expect to get the Spanish force
out (5)
Financier with time to get behind
housing firm (9)
Cossack leaders in wild Tasmania I
overlooked (7)
Stick around East Barking and get
attacked (7)
Invalids home help avoiding a
flight? (9)
Stuff from Flushing or Gent (5)
One call-girl dancing with pole
regularly is fabulous (11)

2
3
4
5
6
7
8
14
15
16
17
19
21
22
23

Taking second day off, work out tennis

score (5)
Remove nothing from wedding
stand (9)
Money for a sucker? (5)
Watch article in US magazine (9)
Endlessly feeble Zulu fighters (5)
Former US diplomat lightly touching
the Queen (9)
The small church specified gets toplevel cover (6)
Loan shark more confident after
opening in USA (6)
Boss of American fruiterers? (3,6)
Witnessing game of cricket in giant
ground (9)
Losing cat can make one
sentimental (9)
Pass English, then blunder (6)
Boy in bar, longing to be picked up (6)
Girl of the month (5)
Its a blade, whichever way you look at
it (5)
Parrot bit of tosh when up in Alpine
region (5)

Clue of the week: What we may see, having this drink? (6 first letter D)
S Times, David McLean

Solution to Crossword 099

ACROSS: 1 Thingummybobs 10 Tenanting 11 Airer 12 Thigh 13 Ineptness
14 Oscular 16 Offload 18 Milk-sop 20 Brigade 21 Stop-cocks 23 Docks
25 Enema 26 Soldier on 27 Staffordshire
DOWN: 2 Hanoi 3 Nine-holes 4 Unifier 5 Magneto 6 Byatt 7 Barcelona
8 Station-master 9 Cross-dressing 15 Callowest 17 Friedrich 19 Picasso
20 Bustled 22 Chaff 24 Carer
Clue of the week: Her vet Betsy is one of the very best (7, first letter A)
Solution: ANAGRAM

An essential read for

anyone who is or aspires to become
a business leader in the GCC

Sudoku 101 (difficult)

Fill in all the squares so that each row,
column and each of the 3x3 squares
contains all the digits from 1 to 9

Solution to Sudoku 100

Charity of the week

The Al Noor Training Centre for

Children with Special Needs is a
specialist facility located in Al Barsha,
Dubai. Designed to help integrate
special needs students into society, it
was founded in 1981. The centre, which
accommodates about 300 children, has
no direct funding and relies on private
donations. The children it looks after
range in age from 2 to 18 years and
face challenges such as Downs Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy and Autism.
These are addressed through special education methods, physiotherapy,
speech therapy and occupational therapy. Al Noor also has its own Work
Placement Unit, which trains children for employment.
Visit www.alnoorspneeds.ae to find out how you can help.

Available at all leading bookshops and at booksarabia.com.

Also available as an ebook.

3 APRIL 2016 THE WEEK