Elegantly witty foreign correspondent whose work was proof of the enduring magic of real reporting Rupert Cornwell, who has died aged 71, was the most gifted of reporters on the foreign scene – from Moscow to Washington and many places in between – of the past 45 years. Writing for Reuters, the Financial Times and the Independent, he had a distinctive elegance and ease, marinated with sharp wit. His long pieces were like a classic David Gower innings. As in print, so in life. His conversation was very funny, very dry and gently subversive. He was my great friend from student days and companion on the road. After Magdalen College, Oxford, where he read modern Greek, he quickly moved from advertising, which he hated, to Reuters. Soon he was on the move, to Paris, Brussels and back to Paris again, where he jumped ship and joined the FT. Continue reading...