Barbarism in the 21st Century

And so after ten years of marriage, Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin have - apparently - called time on their relationship. They're now going to separate or, as Paltrow inimitably put it, partake of a "conscious uncoupling". Very sad, of course. For the sake of their kids let's hope the end of the affair does not subject them to the sorts of rancour one might normally expect.

Still, was there any need for this "news" to be dignified as such with its slot on the lunch, afternoon and tea time bulletins? Forget remotely operated drones rocketing wedding parties. The summation of barbarism in the early 21st century is celebrity tittle-tattle getting more views on the BBC news website than the disastrous debacle of the missing Malaysian flight, and mounting tensions in eastern Ukraine.