Hossam Taibi

I’ve always been a fan of leftovers, which is partly why Boxing Day is my favourite day of the festive season. It’s an excuse to make the most of what’s left, but also to put my feet up. I love nibbling on a mince pie for breakfast, and for lunch, I like to serve cold roast meats like ­turkey or ham with Sperlari Italian mustard fruits (mostarda di frutta) and Fortnum & Mason piccalilli, which I buy every year. That said, sometimes it can be too much. One Christmas I over-ordered and had so much food in the fridge that I didn’t know where to start. Fortunately, we gave plenty away to friends and family, and you can freeze most things: that way, you won’t get sick of having the same thing day...

The former Republican US presidential candidate and incoming senator for Utah Mitt Romney has launched a scathing attack on Donald Trump, saying he has caused dismay around the world. Writing in the Washington Post, he said Mr Trump had not "risen to the mantle" of the presidency. Mr Romney has been fiercely critical of Mr Trump before but won his backing for his run in Utah. There has been no response yet from the US president. How women are changing the face of Congress How US mid-terms just got worse for Trump He has previously attacked Mr Romney as a "failed candidate" and his manager for the 2020 presidential campaign accused him of jealousy. The timing of the article, just two days before Mr Romney is sworn-in, prompted some to speculate he was positioning himself as a challenger to Mr Trump securing the Republican presidential nomination. What did the opinion piece say? In the article, Mr Romney praised many of Mr Trump's policies, such his tax reforms and appointment of conservative judges, ones he said "mainstream Republicans have promoted for years". But he went on to say: "With the nation so divided, resentful and angry, presidential leadership in qualities of character is indispensable. And it is in this province where the incumbent's shortfall has been most glaring." "The world is also watching," he added. "Trump's words and actions have caused dismay around the world." Mr Romney said he would support the president in policies he thought were in the best interests of Utah or the US but speak out against actions "that are divisive, racist, sexist, anti-immigrant, dishonest or destructive to democratic institutions" What's the reaction been? Mr Romney's article has been widely discussed and covered across US media. Several outlets suggested that Mr Romney was positioning himself to be Mr Trump's leading critic in Congress. The New York Times even said much of the essay "sounded like the makings of a primary challenge against Mr. Trump from Mr. Romney". On social media some praised Mr Romney, others said he should have gone further. Conservative commentators and pro-Trump writers have accused him of duplicity and opportunism.

While the fighting games genre is not in the spotlight as it used to be in the 90s and early 2000s, it’s definitely more po[CENSORED]r than it used to be a few years back, thanks to the release of several high-quality titles. Last year saw the release of the new entries in the two most po[CENSORED]r fighting games franchises ever made, Street Fighter and Tekken, but this year has been, possibly, even better than 2017, with the release of games that will also continue to be played casually and competitively in 2019 and beyond. Whether you’re into fighting other players with swords, energy blasts, a variety of wacky items or with the help of multiple characters, 2018 had something good for you. Without further ado, let’s take a look at the best fighting games released this year. Dragon Ball FighterZ Dragon Ball FighterZ set the bar for fighting game not even a month into 2018. Arc System Works is a developer known for creating some of the best 2D fighting games ever, but the developer even exceeded expectations by creating one of the best, if not the best, Dragon Ball game ever. With an original story mode seeing all of the series’ main characters back for one more fight to save the world, a vast selection of single-player modes, a solid multiplayer offering and a fighting system that’s easy to pick up but much harder to master, Dragon Ball Fighter Z is a complete package that no fan of fighting games should pass on, even if they are not fans of tag gameplay. Dave summarized . Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Every time a new entry in the Super Smash Bros. series is released, fans of the long-running Nintendo franchise always have cause to celebrate, but with Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, it’s all fighting games fans that should celebrate, no matter their stance on the decade-old question “Is Smash a fighting game?”. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is, without a doubt, one of the best entries in the series, with its huge character roster, featuring all fighters who have previously appeared in the series as well as several newcomers like Simon and Richter Belmont from Castlevania, the Inkling from Splatoon, King K. Rool from Donkey Kong Country, and extensive single-player mode called World of Light, where players have to navigate a huge map in search of battles to complete, all coming with some very interesting twists, and characters to unlock. While the game basic mechanics are still basically the same, a lot of tweaks have been made so that the experience feels somewhat different from the Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS experience, with the overall tempo of fighting being much faster than before. The online multiplayer issues are the only flaws in an otherwise perfect game, as Dave explained in his review. Soulcalibur VI Despite being one of the most loved fighting game series ever made, the Soulcalibur series took a long hiatus following the release of the fifth entry, which was somewhat divisive for several reasons. The long wait between Soulcalibur V and Soulcalibur VI, however, was well worth it, as Bandai Namco released one of the best fighting games of the year. Most classic characters are back in the new installment, and they have all received some small tweaks that make them feel fresh while also extremely familiar to those who played the previous games. New mechanics also contribute in making Soulcalibur VI feel like a modern fighting game, such as the Soul Charge and Critical Edge mechanics, which can make comebacks spectacular, and Reversal Edge, which can interrupt pressure if used correctly. While not as rich in single player content as other Bandai Namco developed fighting games, Soulcalibur VI offers plenty for those who don’t want to play against other human players at all times, with two different story modes and a lot of customization possibilities for both existing fighters and custom ones. No matter what, you will always find plenty of fun in the game, no matter your preferences, as Dave explained in his review. BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle Arc System Works games are known for their incredible level of depth, which often scares newcomers, but the Japanese developer proved this year that they are more than capable of creating games that are easy to pick up. BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle is a godsend for those who have been disappointed in last year’s Marvel Vs Capcom Infinite and don’t want to deal with the 3 versus 3 tag system featured in Dragon Ball FighterZ. The game, which features characters taken from different Arc System Works fighting games series like the titular BlazBlue, Persona 4 Arena, Under Night In-Birth and RWBY, is one of the most accessible tag fighters ever released, with two buttons being enough to unleash devastating combos, and a single one to call assist attacks from the other fighter in the team. Despite its apparent simplicity, however, BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle is a deep fighting game that will take a long time to master. Fighting EX Layer Arika is a developer that’s definitely less known than Capcom, Bandai Namco and Arc System Works, but they are just as capable as all their other Japanese colleagues, having created some of the best fighting games released on consoles, namely the Street Fighter EX series. While Capcom moved away from the series with the third entry and final entry, fans haven’t forgotten how great the games felt and how unique some of the original characters were, like Skullomania and a few others. Despite the lack of the Street Fighter license, Fighting EX Layer definitely feels a new entry in the series. Most of the characters Akira created for the EX games are back in full force, and they feel great to control, thanks to the chain combo system and the ability to smoothly link special attacks together. The truly defining feature of Fighting EX Layer, however, is the Gougi system, which allows players to choose between pre-constructed decks of five special skills that are activated automatically during a match if specific conditions are met. This adds a whole new layer of depth to the game, as the Gougi skills are varied enough to influence playstyles. Fighting EX Layer is not a game for casual fighting games fans, as it’s extremely lacking in single-player modes, but if you’re looking for a challenging game that will put your skills to the test, this is the game for you. Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition Street Fighter V has been originally released in 2016, but it was clear from the get-go that the game required more time in the oven, as it lacked relevant single-player modes outside of the short character stories and survival mode. It took Capcom some time to finally fix these issues, and they did so by releasing a new version of the game called Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition. Unlike previous entries in the series, Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition didn’t split the existing player base in two, as all owners of the original release also received the new content for free, namely the brand new arcade mode which finally makes Street Fighter V like a true entry in the long-running series by Capcom. Having been developed mostly with the E-sports scene in mind, Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition is still heavily geared towards online play, but as noted by Dave in the review the game now offers something more for those who cannot help but feeling nostalgia at hearing Ryu shouting Hadoken one more time.

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is launching next month but we have a new leak today which covers its pricing and performance details, straight from Videocardz. Just like we mentioned before, the RTX 2060 will be an entry level Turing Ray Tracing GPU option aimed at the mainstream market and is aiming to become the most po[CENSORED]r Turing option amongst gamers since it targets the 1080p HD resolution, which is still the most widely used display resolution by mainstream gaming audiences today. NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Pricing and Performance Leaks Out – $349 US For 1080P/60 FPS Ray-Tracing, Faster Than The 1070 TI A few days back, we got to see the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Founders Edition pictures leak out along with specifications. Today, we are getting the full package with not only the pricing but also the performance numbers being detailed at 1080p and 1440p. It looks like the GeForce RTX 2060 would cost $349 US, for both Founders Edition and Custom models. But we know the RTX 2060 will be offered in at least two different variants so we can see one of the models going for around $299 US too. NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 – These are the full specifications Coming to the specifications first, we know that the card will be using the TU106 GPU core. This GPU SKU will be slightly cut down from the full variant on the RTX 2070, featuring 1920 CUDA cores, 240 Tensor Cores, 30 RT cores, 120 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. The card will feature clock speeds in the 1365 MHz (Base) and 1680 MHz (Boost) range while delivering up to 6.5 TFLOPs of Compute performance. Since the card has 6 lower RT cores than the RTX 2070, it may end up with around 4-5 Giga Rays per second worth of ray tracing performance. I think NVIDIA will try to make 5 Giga Rays a bare minimum for designating a card as RTX. It will make sense since anything below would not be playable unless dropping the resolution below 1080p which doesn’t make a whole lot of sense in this time and age. When it comes to memory specifications, the card would feature 6 GB of GDDR6 memory along with a 192-bit bus interface, running at 14 Gbps. This would deliver 336 GB/s of bandwidth for the card which is higher than the GeForce GTX 1080 with 10 Gbps GDDR5X dies. NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 – These are the full performance numbers As for the performance numbers, Videocardz posted both 1080p and 1440p results for the RTX 2060 while comparing it to the GeForce GTX 1060, GTX 1070, GTX 1070 Ti and GTX 1080. At 1080p, the GeForce RTX 2060 had a clear lead over the GTX 1070 in several AAA titles. In 12 out of the 20 titles tested (excluding RTX titles), the RTX 2060 was faster than the GTX 1070 Ti. It was also faster than the GTX 1080 in 3 titles while being neck-on-neck in other titles. NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Performance Numbers at 1080p (Image Credits: Videocardz) When comparing performance at 1440p, the RTX 2060 leads or matches the GTX 1070 Ti in 15 different AAA titles. This is a bigger improvement over 1080p while over the GTX 1080, the RTX 2060 leads in 3 titles and coming really close to the rest. We can see overclocked variants closing the difference between the GTX 1080 and GTX 1070 Ti (both cards which are really close to each in terms of performance and feature 8 GB GDDR5X memory compared to 6 GB GDDR6 on the RTX 2060. NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Performance Numbers at 1440p (Image Credits: Videocardz) Over the GTX 1060 and GTX 1070, we can see the RTX 2060 as a clear winner with good gen over gen improvement in performance. NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 – This what RTX On and RTX Off Looks Like There’s also RTX numbers as many were speculating that the RTX 2060 may have underperformed when it comes to the ray tracing feature. That may not be the case and the performance is actually similar to that of the RTX 2070 with RTX enabled. Following are some numbers: Battlefield V: RT Off: 90 FPS Battlefield V: RT On + DLSS Off: 65 FPS Battlefield V: RT On + DLSS On: 88 FPS Here you can see that NVIDIA is putting more emphasis on the use of DLSS with RTX enabled to gain the same performance numbers as you would with RTX disabled. One more thing to note is that with RTX on Ultra at 1080p, the card scores 58 FPS while with Medium preset, it scores 66 FPS. Similarly, at 1440p, the card has a 10 FPS difference between RTX Ultra and RTX Medium preset. So When Can I Buy One and For How Much? As mentioned before, the GeForce RTX 2060 would be available for $349 US and that would be the base price for the custom models. The card will be introduced on 7th of January with an official availability planned for 15th January. The card would get a bundle promotion with the selected AAA titles being either Battlefield V or Anthem, a copy of which users will be able to redeem for free on the purchase of the GeForce RTX 2060. Stay tuned for more information in the coming week.

Open bottles of wine left over from Christmas and New Year can be turned into aromatic sweet vermouth Whether you drink a little or a lot, you’ll likely have some leftover wine at some point, especially after the Christmas indulgences. An open bottle will keep and stay drinkable for three to five days, but if it gets any older, use it up in all manner of dishes, from bourguignon to bolognese. Alternatively, be more adventurous, save up your old wine until you’ve got 500ml, and make a bottle of your very own vermouth, a fortified wine full of aromatic botanicals. It’s delicious served neat over ice or made into my favourite New Year’s Eve cocktail, negroni (to make that, just pour a shot each of your very own vermouth, gin and Campari into a glass, and serve on ice with a slice of orange). Homemade sweet vermouth Vermouth is a complex and bittersweet fortified wine, full of aromatic botanicals. This recipe is quick and simple to make. Try adding or removing different herbs and spices, depending on what you have available, to make your own distinct recipe. Mugwort is a key ingredient for its bitter flavours and grows prolifically in the wild, but dandelion leaves (which are easy to identify) make a great replacement if you can’t forage any yourself. 500ml red or white wine 2 sprigs mugwort or 3 dandelion leaves 1 sprig wild fennel or ½ tsp fennel seeds 1 tsp camomile tea flowers 8 cardamom pods 3 cloves 1 star anise 1 shard cinnamon bark 1 bay leaf 1 slice orange peel 150g caster sugar 150ml cider brandy Pour 100ml wine into a small saucepan, and add the spices, herbs and orange peel. Bring to a boil, turn the heat right down down, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve or muslin, discard the bits and return the liquid to the pan. Next make a caramel. Warm a small saucepan over a medium heat, pour in the sugar and leave it untouched until it begins to melt around the edges. Stir gently with a wooden spoon until the sugar crystals turn into a golden liquid, then continue cooking gently until the caramel turns a rich golden brown, similar in colour to pale ale. Take off the heat and leave to cool a little. Reheat the infused wine to just below boiling point, then pour carefully over the caramel, stirring until dissolved. Add the rest of the wine and cider brandy, and stir well. Leave to cool, then pour into a sterilised bottle, seal and store in the fridge for up to two months. Serve neat over ice or use to make your own cocktails.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has said he is committed to denuclearisation, but warned he will change course if the US continues its sanctions. He made the remarks during his closely-watched annual New Year's address. Last year's speech set the country on an unprecedented path of international diplomacy with South Korea and the US. Mr Kim met US President Donald Trump to discuss denuclearisation in June 2018 but with few results so far. Last year's rapprochement came after a turbulent 2017 marked by North Korea testing missiles that could reach the US mainland and an escalation in rhetoric between Pyongyang and Washington with both sides trading insults and threats of nuclear destruction. When Trump met Kim: What happened next? North Korea's sidelined human rights crisis North Korea's breakdown of communication The annual New Year's address is a tradition Mr Kim picked up from his grandfather, Kim Il-sung, founder of the communist country. The speech is aimed primarily at a domestic audience and, as in previous years, focused largely on the economy - but international observers scan every line for clues to Pyongyang's international agenda as well. In this year's speech, broadcast on state television early on Tuesday, Mr Kim said, "if the US does not keep its promise made in front of the whole world... and insists on sanctions and pressures on our republic, we may be left with no choice but to consider a new way to safeguard our sovereignty and interests". The BBC's Laura Bicker in Seoul says this could mean that North Korea is waiting for the US to act in 2019 and unless it does, the current pause on nuclear weapons testing could be over. North Korea is subject to various sets of United Nations Security Council sanctions related to its banned nuclear and ballistic missile weapons programmes. Mr Kim said that North Korea had already pledged not to make, use or spread nuclear weapons and had taken concrete steps to implement this. He also said he was ready to meet Mr Trump again at any time. "The tone was what many had expected," Oliver Hotham of news site NK News, told the BBC. "In all, a speech that boosts his standing at home on key issues while sending a conciliatory but firm message to the US, all the while continuing to woo Seoul with the prospects of renewed cooperation." Korean soldiers cross border in peace South Korea unveils Kim Jong-un's puppies Seeing through Kim Jong-un's K-pop sign It was in last year's New Year's message that Mr Kim announced North Korea would take part in the Winter Olympics hosted by the South, which led to a thaw in relations. After a flurry of diplomatic activity, in April Kim Jong-un met South Korean President Moon Jae-in for a summit at the inter-Korean border. They met twice more after that, but the most historic summit of 2018 was the North Korean leader's meeting with US President Donald Trump in Singapore in June. In the first meeting between a North Korean leader and a sitting US president, the two signed a vaguely-phrased agreement to improve ties and work towards denuclearisation. Since the Trump-Kim summit though, less progress has been made than at least optimists had been hoping for. While the North has stopped missile and nuclear testing, there's been little indication that Pyongyang is working towards complete and verifiable denuclearisation as the US has called upon it to do. The North has dismantled some testing facilities but there are allegations it is continuing its weapons programme. President Trump has said he expects a second summit to take place as early as February, but there has been no confirmation yet. There are also plans for Kim Jong-un to travel to the South's capital Seoul for another inter-Korean summit but again, those plans have not been confirmed yet.

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After dashing about all year, a winter stroll is the perfect tonic If proof were needed that I am no longer young and hip, it is my newfound passion for a ramble. As an angsty teen, and later as a perennially hungover student, I deeply resented family walks, which were compulsory at this time of year. To me the fuzzy, neither here nor there period between Christmas and New Year was best spent sleeping till noon, then transferring to the sofa to watch an old movie - preferably Planes, Trains and Automobiles - and work my way through a chocolate selection box. Instead I was dragged on several bracing strolls - blown to bits along the seafront at Brighton where my grandparents lived, or ambling...

People in the Democratic Republic of Congo are voting for a new president in an election delayed for more than two years. Close to 40 million people are eligible to vote for a successor to President Joseph Kabila - in power since 2001. But the run-up has been hit by violence and controversy over the decision to exclude some 1.26 million from voting. The poll is expected to bring the country's first peaceful transfer of power since independence in 1960. On Saturday, however, rival candidates failed to agree on a statement aimed at reducing tension before the poll. Voting began at 05:00 (04:00 GMT) and ends at 17:00. Five things to know about DRC Things started slowly in the capital, Kinshasa, due to heavy rain, reports the BBC's Louise Dewast. There have been delays in a number of areas because of problems with the electronic voting machines but the mood is calm, she says. What's the context for these elections? The current president took over from his assassinated father Laurent in 2001, but he is barred from running for another term under the constitution. He was supposed to step down two years ago, but the election was postponed after the electoral commission said it needed more time to register voters.

Gordon Murray, automotive designer and engineer, has been made a CBE (Commander of the British Empire) in the Queen’s New Year's Honours list 2019, for ‘services to motoring’. Designer of some of the most successful Formula One cars of all time, Murray helped Brabham win two world championships (1981 and 1983) and McLaren win three (1988, 1989, and 1990), before he began to focus on road cars. Establishing McLaren Cars Ltd, Murray designed the McLaren F1, a three seat sports car which, at 243mph, became the world’s fastest supercar and which, in race form, won the 1995 Le Mans 24 hours. He also led the creation of the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren while, independently, driving forwards other projects such as the design of the Light Car Company Rocket. In 2005 he established Gordon Murrary Design Ltd, a Surrey-based design and engineering consultancy which has had a hand in the new TVR Griffith, the OX commercial vehicle, Yamaha Motive-e and has also created iStream manufacturing technology. Find an Autocar car review Choose a makeAbarthAllardAlfa RomeoAlpinaAlpineArielAscariAston MartinAudiBACBentleyBMWBorgwardBowlerBugattiBYDBytonCadillacCaparoCaterhamChangan AutoChevroletChryslerCitroenCupraDaciaDallaraDavid BrownDodgeDSEagleElementalEternitiFerrariFiatFiskerFordGreat WallGeelyGinettaGumpertHennesseyHondaHongqiHyundaiInfinitiIsuzuItalDesignJaguarJeepJIAKen OkuyamaKiaKoenigseggKTMLadaLamborghiniLanciaLand RoverLexusLincolnLotusLynk & CoMahindraMarcosMaseratiMaybachMazdaMcLarenMercedes-AMGMercedes-BenzMercedes-MaybachMG MotorMiniMiaMitsubishiMorganMS-RTMurrayNextEVNioNissanNobleOldsmobileOpelPaganiPeroduaPeugeotPininfarinaPorscheProtonQorosRadicalRamRenaultRimacRiversimpleRoeweRolls-RoyceRoverSaabSeatSenovaShelbySinSkodaSmartSpykerSRTSsangyongSSCSubaruSuzukiTataTeslaTigerToniqToyotaTriumphTushekTVRVauxhallVencerVeritasVolkswagenVolvoVuhlWestfieldWeyZenosZenvoZolfeZoyte Then a model Driven this week 21 DECEMBER 2018 FIRST DRIVE Mercedes-Benz C-Class C220d Coupe 2018 UK review Entry-level diesel motor makes a lot of sense in the sleeker, two-door C-... 21 DECEMBER 2018 FIRST DRIVE Litchfield Alpine A110 2018 UK review Litchfield’s very well-judged engine remap liberates more power and torque... 21 DECEMBER 2018 FIRST DRIVE Lamborghini Aventador SVJ 2018 UK review Extra-special Aventador gets a V12 to die for, and ride and handling that’s... “It is extremely humbling to receive a CBE in the Queen’s New Year Honours,” Prof. Murray said. “I’ve spent more than 50 years doing what I love, working with a wealth of highly-talented and creative people around the world, but primarily in the UK. From the competing during the heyday of Formula One, to designing the world’s fastest supercar, I’ve loved every minute. I’d like to dedicate this honour to all those I’ve worked with over the years and I look forward to an exciting future for the Gordon Murray Group.” Nissan UK's senior vice-president for manufacturing, Kevin Fitzpatrick, has also been awarded a CBE for services to manufacturing and engineering in north east England. The award reflects Fitzpatrick's efforts in helping to develop Nissan's Sunderland plant, dating back to when he was one of the original 22 supervisors hired to launch the factory.

Police in Egypt have killed dozens of militants during security raids on their hideouts, the interior ministry has said. The raids killed "40 terrorists" in Giza and North Sinai on Saturday morning, according to a statement from the ministry. It said the militants were planning a series of attacks on tourist sites, churches and military personnel. The raids followed Friday's roadside bomb attack on a tour bus in Giza. No group has yet said it was behind the blast, which killed three Vietnamese tourists and an Egyptian tour guide, but Islamist militants have targeted tourists in Egypt in the past. What you need to know about Egypt Police killed 30 militants during two early morning raids in Giza, while the remaining 10 were killed in El-Arish, the capital of North Sinai province, the interior ministry said. "A group of terrorists were planning to carry out a series of aggressive attacks targeting state institutions, particularly economic ones, as well as tourism... and Christian places of worship," the ministry statement said. It added that police had seized bomb-making materials, ammunition and a large number of weapons during the raids. Security is already tight in Egypt, with the tourist season at its height and the country's main Christian minority, the Copts, preparing to celebrate Orthodox Christmas on 7 January. What do we know of Friday's attack? The roadside bomb went off at about 18:15 (16:45 GMT) on Maryoutiya Street in Giza's Haram district as the bus carrying 14 Vietnamese tourists was passing, according to official accounts. Four people were killed and eleven others were injured in the incident, which is the first affecting foreign tourists in Egypt in more than a year. Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly has said the bus deviated from its planned route without alerting security forces, although the driver has denied this.

We thought it would be over by Christmas. They said it would be. But it isn’t, and so has this become the year we lost our innocence, and stopped believing politicians. And all without so much as a traumatic phone call from Donald Trump. Sure, we might have been marginal; but was that really so bad? Either way, here we are, stranded in the No Man’s Land between 2018 and 2019 and instead of the whole Brexit imbroglio being sorted, it has merely been in abeyance. If by some happy Twixmas collision of Baileys and denial you have forgotten why you’ve been drinking yourself into oblivion, feel free to cut out and keep the following guide: Remainers abhor Leavers. Leavers despise Remoaners. Remoaners...

Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie has hinted that she is considering a move into politics in the future. In an interview on the BBC's Today programme, she said she would have dismissed this 20 years ago but would now go where she was needed. Jolie, who is a special envoy to the UN Refugee Agency, was the guest editor of the Today programme on Friday. She is an active campaigner on a range of issues, including refugees, sexual violence and conservation. In a wide-ranging interview with presenter Justin Webb, she discussed US politics, social media, sexual violence and the global refugee crisis. When asked whether she would consider getting involved in politics, she said: "If you asked me 20 years ago, I would've laughed... I always say I'll go where I'm needed, I don't know if I'm fit for politics… but then I've also joked that I don't know if I have a skeleton left in my closet". "I'm also able to work with governments and I'm also able to work with militaries, and so I sit in a very interesting place of being able to get a lot done. Jolie joins BBC Radio for Christmas Berry and Jolie to edit Woman’s Hour She added that "for now", she would stay quiet. When Webb suggested that meant she could be on the list of 30 to 40 Democrats running for the party's presidential nomination, she did not say no, replying "thank you". Jolie is one of a range of guest editors, including David Dimbleby and Martha Lane Fox, who are taking charge of the programme between 22 December to 1 January. She also discussed the difficulties of monitoring her children's social media activities, highlighting that like "most parents", she cannot control everything they are exposed to. "There are certain realities to teenagers and also our generation doesn't understand half of what they are doing with their tech so they can get around us pretty easy", she said.

When it comes to the 9 to 5, these people spend their working days driving, designing, selling or building some of the most important cars on the road. We chat to some of the leading UK automotive professionals to gain an insight into what gets them out of bed in the morning, and what it took to get into their office chair. Marek Reichman, chief creative officer at Aston Martin “Did I imagine I’d end up designing cars for James Bond? It won’t surprise you to learn that wasn’t part of even my wildest dreams,” laughs Marek Reichman, chief creative officer of Aston Martin and, in his own words, holder of “one of the best jobs in the world”. Born in Sheffield in 1966 and the son of a blacksmith, Reichman believes his path has been driven above all else by passion. “I’ve heard career advisors say that you should never turn a hobby into a career,” he says. “What absolute bollocks. Driven this week Mercedes-Benz C220d Coupe 2018 first drive review - hero front 21 DECEMBER 2018 FIRST DRIVE Mercedes-Benz C-Class C220d Coupe 2018 UK review Entry-level diesel motor makes a lot of sense in the sleeker, two-door C-... Litchfield Alpine A110 2018 UK review - hero front 21 DECEMBER 2018 FIRST DRIVE Litchfield Alpine A110 2018 UK review Litchfield’s very well-judged engine remap liberates more power and torque... Lamborghini Aventador SVJ 2018 UK first drive review - hero front 21 DECEMBER 2018 FIRST DRIVE Lamborghini Aventador SVJ 2018 UK review Extra-special Aventador gets a V12 to die for, and ride and handling that’s... “If you go to work with passion, you can fulfil your dreams. You can create change. Without wishing to get too highbrow about it, a job becomes a vocation. You can go to work every day – and, let’s be clear, it is work, and it can be hard and tiring – challenged and excited.” For Reichman, the catalyst came from his brother, Julian, who was seven years older and also studied design: “Even as a teenager, he believed that everyone should be taught to draw on the same terms as they are taught to read and write. So I drew and drew – whatever class I was in. It didn’t matter if I was in maths or French, I’d draw in my school books. “When I started at Aston Martin, I went back to my school to give a talk and my old maths teacher was still there. I reminded him about the board rubbers he used to sling at my head for not paying attention and told the kids to find something they love and pursue it with a passion.”

A Frenchman has set off to cross the Atlantic Ocean in a barrel-shaped orange capsule, using ocean currents alone to propel him. Jean-Jacques Savin, 71, left El Hierro in Spain's Canary Islands and hopes to reach the Caribbean in as little as three months. His reinforced capsule contains a sleeping bunk, kitchen and storage. He will drop markers along the way to help oceanographers study Atlantic currents. Updates on the journey are being posted on a Facebook page and the latest message said the barrel was "behaving well". In a telephone interview with AFP news agency, he said: "The weather is great. I've got a swell of one metre (3ft) and I'm moving at 2-3km/h... I've got favourable winds forecast until Sunday." Mr Savin is a former military paratrooper and has also worked as a park ranger and a pilot. He believes ocean currents alone will carry his resin-coated plywood vessel about 4,500km (2,800 miles) to the Caribbean. The barrel is 3m long and 2.10m wide with six square metres of living space. There is a porthole in the floor through which Mr Savin can watch passing fish. The capsule has been built to resist waves and potential attacks by orca whales. A solar panel generates power for communications and GPS positioning. His budget of €60,000 (£54,000; $68,000) was largely raised through crowdfunding. "Maybe Barbados, although I would really like it to be a French island like Martinique or Guadaloupe," he joked. "That would be easier for the paperwork and for bringing the barrel back."