Known in comedy circles as the "undisputed king of all gag men, living or dead", Irving Brecher was admired by such figures as S.J. Perelman and Groucho Marx for his lightning wit. A prolific writer for radio and television, he also worked on classic screen musicals including Meet Me in St Louis, and wrote, unaided, two films for the Marx Brothers.

In 2025, the Middle East will be at the center of an arc of instability, from the Maghreb across into Central Asia. Almost every problem that will challenge political leadership anywhere on the globe will be found there at a higher degree of severity or intensity.

Am I the only Strictly fan to welcome the news that John Sergeant is quitting the show? It's not that I don't like Sergeant. I too find his dancing bear antics and sausage grin as endearing as the rest of the country, but the judges have a point – the show is about the dancing – just not for the reasons they think it is.

For Simon Cowell, it was just another day at work when he decided to humiliate Paula Goodspeed, a American Idol hopeful who had just delivered a forgettable rendition of the Tina Turner classic "Proud Mary".

Until now, the London School of Economics has been noted for its eggheads rather than its buildings. But that is changing. Earlier this month, the Queen opened a jaw-dropping £71m structure, complete with four lecture theatres, 16 seminar rooms, a street café and a rooftop pavilion with dramatic views across the capital.

Eddy Shah, 64, revolutionised newspaper production in the UK when he launched the now defunct daily 'Today'. He also owned 60 local newspapers. Shah recently started up the eco-house business Green Ladder Homes. His fifth novel, 'Second World', is out this month.

Theo Walcott has been told by a specialist that he must have surgery on his dislocated right shoulder and he will go ahead with the operation in the next two or three days. Walcott visited a Harley Street specialist yesterday evening having been flown back from Berlin by the Football Association before England's friendly against Germany. Last night the winger's club manager at Arsenal, Arsène Wenger, confirmed that Walcott will miss "at least three months"...
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Outlook While the collapse of America's largest car manufacturers continues to fascinate and appal in equal measure, relatively little attention has been paid to the dismal outlook facing the US auto giants' opposite numbers in Europe. Britain's car industry, for example, is in a desperate state, with sales down 23 per cent last month to their lowest levels since 1991.