But the British handling of this case does not appear to fit naturally into those bleak concerns.Spy spats are a regular feature in Britain's tense relations with Russia.
Better medical care and lower mortality boost poor-country population numbers too.Some bleak findings concern Nigeria, where Muslim numbers are seen rising to 117m in 2030 from 76m now, edging up from 47.9% to 51.5% of the population.
That was the very last laugh on offer, and if you saw last week's unremittingly bleak instalment concerning the stabbing, you might not have found it all that funny.
Particularly bleak anecdotes concerned factory activity, which has borne the brunt of the economic slowdown this year.
Taken together, the bleak data resurrected concerns that the market could fall into another downturn, with new downward pressure on prices as the supply of homes increases but demand dwindles.
Having just been on TV in rather contrasting shows, Southcliffe (bleak four-parter concerning a small-town shooting) and Count Arthur Strong (slow-burning radio-to-telly sitcom), he's also played Iago at the National Theatre.
The mood at Westminster has recently turned, especially bleak among Labour MPs concerned that the party's arguments for remaining in Europe are not connecting with its voters.
It meant a bleak scene for all concerned at the Andruv Stadium – even the Czech fans in the crowd went home disappointed, with England's defeat costing their side an Olympic play-off – but Southgate tried to sound a note of positivity.
It is hardly a surprise that a radio play by Samuel Beckett should be concerned with the bleak, monotonous business of being alive.
But against these concerns stands the bleak reality of the present situation: profound and enduring unemployment, slow growth, rising income inequality.
Hence little has suggested that China's leaders are concerned about the bleak implications for the future: that their rule in Tibet can be maintained only by the indefinite deployment of massive coercive force.So for a Chinese scholar, Jin Wei, who is director of ethnic and religious studies at the Central Party School in Beijing, to call for a "creative" new approach is startling.
