Innholdsfortegnelse for 1393 i The Week

Ukrainian officials have a new saying, said Thomas Friedman in The New York Times: “All the dumb Russians are dead.” It’s a “backhanded compliment”, meaning that, after suffering ruinous casualties – at least 15,000 troops have been killed – Russian forces have devised an effective strategy. It involves “standing back and just shelling and rocketing Ukrainian cities in the east, turning them to rubble and then inching forward”. And Vladimir Putin clearly intends to push on. He hasn’t got nearly enough troops to meet his original invasion objectives, but by dragooning Russia’s “impoverished minorities” and Ukrainians from separatist territories into the army, he can keep grinding on. He clearly hopes that soaring energy and food prices in Europe will “fracture the Nato alliance”. And he has a trump card, said…

Netflix, which revealed that it lost almost a million subscribers in the three months from April. It was the second quarter in a row that the streaming giant had seen its subscriber base fall, but the drop-off was actually smaller than it had feared (something attributed at least partly to the success of Stranger Things). Netflix is now planning to launch a cheaper service with ad breaks in an effort to win customers back. Working from Home, after the Frasers Group asked its staff to return to work full-time. The retailer, owned by Mike Ashley, had allowed many of its office-based employees to stay at home on Fridays; but in a memo, it said that evidence from social media suggested that people were not treating it as a working day.…

58% of Conservative Party members say the parliamentary party was right to effectively oust Boris Johnson as PM. 38% think it was a mistake. Among 18- to 49-year-old members, 75% feel it was the right call, compared with 49% of over-65s. Only 4% of all members say that they want the next leader to make hitting the target of net-zero emissions by 2050 a priority. Instead, their most pressing concerns are winning the next election (56%), controlling immigration (49%), and helping families with the cost of living (40%). YouGov/The Times 68% of British adults believe social media companies should do more to protect people online. 84% are concerned about seeing harmful content online. Ipsos/Gov.uk…

John McEnroe’s wild ride John McEnroe was rarely off the front pages in the early 1980s, owing to his astonishing talent, his epic rivalry with Björn Borg, and his appalling temper. As well as all the on-court screaming and racket tossing, he clashed with tennis officials, abused what he called “performance-detracting” drugs, and embarked on a tempestuous marriage to the actress and ex-child star Tatum O’Neal. He thought that she’d understand and help him cope with the pressure of fame, says Tim Lewis in The Observer. Instead, their union exposed them both to a new and unprecedented level of scrutiny, leading to its eventual collapse. McEnroe was devastated, but in the 1990s he found happiness and stability with his second wife, the rock star Patty Smyth. She has suggested that…

A vicar has been fined and placed on the sex offenders’ register “for romping with a Henry Hoover”, reports The Sun. John Jeffs, 74, was caught “thrusting” into the vacuum cleaner’s nozzle, naked except for a pair of stockings, by a shocked churchgoer who walked into his office at the The Baptist Centre in Middleton Cheney in Northamptonshire. Jeffs saw the witness, but carried on, later telling police he did it because he felt “naughty”. He was found guilty of indecent exposure at Northampton Magistrates’ Court last week. A personal trainer from Indiana has said that running on all fours like a dog every day for almost an entire year has made him “crazy ripped”. Nathaniel Nolan does “a minimum of about 30 to 45 minutes a day” on all…

INDIA A snarling symbol of the BJP regime NDTV (New Delhi) India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, has taken disturbing liberties with one of India’s most potent national symbols, says Rajmohan Gandhi. The famous Lion Capital of Ashoka, a statue dating from the third century BC, represents four Asiatic lions standing back to back. Now “suddenly and without consultation”, a modified version has appeared atop the new parliament building being constructed in New Delhi. It’s more than four times the size of the original at 6.5 metres high, and weighs more than nine tonnes. But the really striking difference is in the lions’ demeanour. In the original they’re “graceful” and “regally confident”. These beasts, in alarming contrast, are “snarling and menacing” – as stark a change as if the flame of…

It launched on Christmas Day, 11 years behind schedule and at a budget-busting cost of $10bn, said The Washington Post. Now the James Webb Space Telescope has returned to us some “belated gifts”: stunning images of stars, galaxies, space dust and other marvels of the universe, light years away. That we Earthlings have built such a powerful telescope, and sent it a million miles from Earth, to orbit the Sun, is impressive enough. But what these images convey is positively mind-boggling. The first, the deepest infrared image of the universe to date, shows thousands of galaxies. Some are relatively close, said Ben Spencer in The Sunday Times; but the light from others has taken 13 billion years to reach us. In other words, what this virtual time machine is showing…

It’s rare that a documentary gives away its big reveal before it airs – and yet, when you watch it, it still “blows you away”. But The Real Mo Farah did just that, said Carol Midgley in The Times. Ever since he came to prominence, the Olympic gold medal winner had described himself as a refugee from Somalia, who’d arrived in Britain with his parents. Now, though, we know that his life story was a lie that he had been carrying like an “albatross”. His real name is Hussein Abdi Kahin. His father was killed in the civil war when he was four; his impoverished mother then sent him to live with an uncle in Djibouti. From there, he was trafficked, aged nine, to England, by a woman who forced…

It may not have been vintage rugby, but it got the job done, said Robert Kitson in The Observer. England flew home from Australia last weekend having won their second successive Test series against the Wallabies; Eddie Jones, their “wily” Australian manager, “once again enjoyed the last laugh over his countrymen”. Heading into the third Test in Sydney with the series poised 1-1, England earned a hard-fought 21-17 victory, thanks to a “breakaway Marcus Smith try after 55 minutes and another concerted late defensive effort”. True, this Australian side is uninspired. But “every series win in the southern hemisphere is a notable effort”. England need to improve to have a chance in next year’s World Cup, said Alex Lowe in The Sunday Times. They are “very much a mid-table team…

The road to diversity To The Times Your leading article on 13 July claims that “David Cameron should get much of the credit” for the increased diversity of the Conservative Party leadership contestants. Cameron does deserve credit for continuing a system that was largely in place before he became leader, and for investing in the early fruits. The system was based on a competency-based assessment centre, the first of its kind in British politics, which measured aptitude, not background; CVs were not allowed. An extensive outreach programme ensured a more encouraging “supply side”, while mentoring meant contact went beyond being invited to a party where you knew no one. Much credit is therefore due to William Hague and David Davis, then leader and party chairman respectively, for seeing the potential…

“So, comic lightning does strike twice,” said Nick Curtis in the London Evening Standard. A decade ago Richard Bean created one of the National Theatre’s biggest ever hits by taking an 18th century classic comedy, The Servant of Two Masters, and reworking it as One Man, Two Guvnors, set in 1960s Brighton. In conjunction with Oliver Chris, who starred in that show, Bean has now pulled off something “every bit as uproarious and ribald” by transposing Sheridan’s The Rivals from Regency Bath to a country house in Sussex, where an RAF squadron has been stationed during the Battle of Britain. It has the “same ungoverned humour, giddy abandon and metatheatrical playfulness” as One Man, Two Guvnors. But it is also “its own thing” – skewering “British class-consciousness and exceptionalism, as…

The Famished Road by Ben Okri, 1991 (Vintage £9.99). I remember reading this novel at university, and it had a profound effect. Azaro, a spirit child, struggles to stay in the mortal world. Tender, brutal, brilliant and heartbreaking, it has never left me. I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman by Nora Ephron, 2006 (Transworld £9.99). Hilariously funny, whip-smart and humane, Ephron’s writing about the trials and tribulations of ageing as a woman in the 21st century makes me roar with laughter and exhale in relief at her fearless wit and insight. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, 1985 (Vintage £9.99). I know, I know, I know, but this has to be on every reading list. Atwood’s blistering prose is, sadly, forever timely and…

Programmes Joe Lycett: Summer Exhibitionist The comedian – who had a piece accepted for the Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition in 2018 – goes behind the scenes at the open-entry art competition. Sat 23 Jul, BBC2 20:00 (60mins). Myanmar: The Forgotten Revolution Dispatches investigates Myanmar’s descent into civil war, in the year since 2021’s military coup. Mon 25 Jul, C4 23:05 (60mins). Vaughan Williams’s Sea Symphony at the Proms Andrew Manze conducts the BBC National Orchestra of Wales for a nautically inspired Prom, culminating in Vaughan Williams’s choral masterpiece A Sea Symphony. Fri 29 Jul, BBC4 20:00 (120mins). Neighbours Kylie Minogue, Guy Pearce and Jason Donovan return to Ramsey Street for the final episode of the Aussie soap that launched their careers, 35 years ago. Fri 29 Jul, C5 21:00 (65mins). Films…

Vietnam discovery Trace Vietnam’s eastern coastline. Fifteen days from £876pp, including accommodation, meals, transfers, activities. 020-8004 8886, theadventurepeople.com. Depart 12 August. All-inclusive Cuba retreat Spend 7 nights at the Memories Jibacoa, located on the beach and daytripping distance from Havana, from £888pp, Manchester flights included. 020-3451 2688, tui.co.uk. Depart 19 September. Hotel stay & musical ticket Explore all the best spots in London and enjoy the Beauty and the Beast Musical. Two nights from £179pp room-only. 020-3699 5024, wowcher.co.uk. Selected dates until 17 September. Charming Budapest B&B Stay 4 nights in the heart of the city, just steps away from Váci Street, at the Hotel Museum Budapest, from £388pp, Edinburgh flights incl. 020-8016 3295, thomascook.com. Depart 18 August. Covid-19: please check government websites for testing and quarantine requirements, and the…

SoftBank/Arm: London stalling Political turmoil in Britain may prove a blessing for the SoftBank boss Masayoshi Son, said Bloomberg. It has given him a reason to pause work on a London listing of the Cambridge chip giant Arm – which SoftBank controversially bought for $32bn (£24bn) in 2016 – while continuing to pursue an IPO in his favoured location, New York. The resignation of PM Boris Johnson, and “the walk-out of many leading officials in his administration”, has thrown a spanner in the works. As a SoftBank source observed: you can’t negotiate if there is no one on the other side to talk with. In an effort to secure Arm’s future as “a national champion for British tech”, Johnson had “personally lobbied” SoftBank’s billionaire founder to arrange “at least a…

The battle for the Bank of England Simon Foy The Daily Telegraph In the melee to replace Boris Johnson as Tory leader, the Bank of England has become a “target”, says Simon Foy. Tom Tugendhat blamed the Bank’s quantitative easing programme for inflation. And Liz Truss says she wants to set a “clear direction of travel” on monetary policy – taken by many as “a veiled challenge to the Bank’s independence”. At present, the Treasury sets the 2% target for inflation, leaving Threadneedle Street to set interest rates. But the Bank is now “facing its greatest challenge” since this right was granted in 1997. Although most major economies are struggling with surging inflation, governor Andrew Bailey has come under “particular fire” for his handling of the crisis. Ministers have also…

THE WEEK CROSSWORD 1321 An Ettinger shoe horn and two Connell Guides will be given to the sender of the first correct solution to the crossword and the clue of the week opened on Monday 1 August. Send it to The Week Crossword 1321, 121-141 Westbourne Terrace, London W2 6JR, or email the completed grid or listed solutions to crossword@theweek.co.uk. Tim Moorey (timmoorey.com) This week’s winner will receive an Ettinger (ettinger.co.uk) Bridle Hide travel shoehorn in black, which retails at £75, and two Connell Guides (connellguides.com). ACROSS 8 Response ministers get in artificial language (3) 9 Number employed in the theatre (11) 11 Ape is shot in reddish-brown (5) 12 Railway diversion particularly troubling, partly avoided (9) 13 Address to a worn-out runner? (3,4) 14 Trouble with fellow on railway…

What happened Recorded temperatures topped 40°C for the first time ever in the UK on Tuesday. Wildfires broke out across England and several fire brigades declared “major incidents”, on a day when the UK’s previous record high of 38.7°C, set in 2019, was broken in at least 34 places. The highest temperature (40.3°C) was in Coningsby, Lincolnshire; other hotspots were Heathrow (40.2°C) and Kew Gardens (40.1°C), where it was cooler inside the Palm House than out. Monday night was also the UK’s hottest: temperatures in parts of London and Yorkshire never dropped below 25°C. At least 20 homes were destroyed by fire in Wennington, east London on Tuesday; mayor Sadiq Khan said it was the London Fire Brigade’s busiest day since the Second World War. The hot weather – heralded…

A TikToker in Australia has been forced to apologise to a stranger for subjecting her to a random act of kindness. Harrison Pawluk, 22, filmed himself handing flowers to a middle-aged woman in a mall, before walking away. The video went viral, but the recipient herself told a radio station she felt patronised and “dehumanised” by the incident. “These artificial things are not random acts of kindness, really.” Office workers have been warned that the meaning attributed to emojis differs widely according to age. Older people, for instance, use the winking face to mean “I’m kidding”, whereas young people see it as flirty. And whereas the smiling face is used by older people to suggest joy or approval, the young use it to convey deep exasperation.…

Couples in England and Wales could be allowed to marry on the beach or in their gardens under proposed reforms to the Marriage Act 1949. Currently, most couples must marry at either a place of worship, a register office or a licensed venue, with an officiant present; but in a new report, the Law Commission calls these restrictions “outdated”, and proposes that weddings be allowed to take place anywhere that the officiant deems “safe and dignified”. It also recommends that the pool of people who can act as officiants be widened, and that rules on “prescribed words” in the ceremony be scrapped. The Ministry of Justice will now consider these recommendations.…

Paris Minister accused: More than 100 public figures in France have signed an open letter accusing a minister in President Macron’s new government of homophobia, and suggesting she should stand down. The letter, signed by MPs, lawyers, journalists and the former PM Manuel Valls, cites remarks made by Caroline Cayeux in 2013, when she described gay marriage and adoption as “a caprice” that is “against nature”. The 73-year-old, who was appointed minister for the regions on 4 July, originally defended her remarks, saying “I have a lot of friends among those people”, but she has since apologised for them. Rome PM urged to stay: Thousands of Italian mayors, business leaders and others have called on the prime minister, Mario Draghi, to remain in office. Draghi offered to resign last week,…

1 I Could Have Danced All Night by Frederick Loewe and Alan Jay Lerner, performed by Marni Nixon 2 Et Si Tu N’Existais Pas by Pierre Delanoë, Claude Lemesle, Salvatore Cutugno and Pasquale Losito, performed by Joe Dassin 3* Mr. Tambourine Man, written and performed by Bob Dylan 4 I Don’t Like Mondays by Bob Geldof and Johnnie Fingers, performed by The Boomtown Rats 5 Lambada by Alberto Maravi, Gonzalo Hermosa Gonzáles, José Ari, Márcia Ferreira and Ulises Hermosa, performed by Kaoma 6 Namagembe, written and performed by Madoxx Sematimba 7 I and Love and You by Robert William Crawford, Scott Yancey Avett and Timothy Seth Avett, performed by The Avett Brothers 8 American Pie, written and performed by Don McLean Book: The Complete Works of Jane Austen Luxury: an asthma inhaler * Choice if allowed only one…

On the national scale, second homes are fairly rare. The English Housing Survey, from 2019, suggested that only 3% of English households owned a second home (though that has probably increased since). However, these are concentrated in particular areas, particularly on the coast. Up to 10% of properties in Cornwall, North Norfolk and the Isle of Wight are second homes. This rises in some favoured towns and villages to quite extraordinary levels. On the picturesque South Devon coast, about 60% of properties in Salcombe are not a principal residence, rising to 80% in nearby Hope Cove, and 95% in Thurlestone Sands, just to the northwest. In national parks, it’s a similar story: in the Lake District, around 24% of homes are second properties. Analysis of data from 13 parks by…

The reality of life after Roe v. Wade Alyssa Rosenberg The Washington Post A “truly horrible” story went viral earlier this month, says Alyssa Rosenberg. The Indianapolis Star reported that a ten-year-old rape victim from Ohio had travelled to Indiana to receive an abortion. She had been six weeks and three days into her pregnancy when it was confirmed, and was therefore unable to seek treatment in her home state, where abortions are now banned as soon as a foetal heartbeat is detectable, which can be as early as six weeks. There are no exceptions for rape or incest. Abortion-rights advocates understandably seized on the case as an illustration of the cruelties of the post-Roe v. Wade world, but some others sought to dismiss it as fake news. A “charitable…

Vaping rates among children and teenagers have almost doubled in two years, the charity Action on Smoking and Health (Ash) has warned. Its report, which was partly funded by the Department of Health, surveyed 2,613 children across the UK, and found that 7% of 11- to 17-year-olds now use e-cigarettes routinely, up from 4% in 2020. The proportion of children who admit to having tried vaping has also risen, from 14% in 2020 to 16% in 2022. Of those who vape, more than half now rate disposable e-cigarettes as their favourite product, up from just 7% in 2020. “The disposable vapes that have surged in popularity over the last year are brightly coloured pocket-sized products with sweet flavours and sweet names, and are widely available for under a fiver,” said…

Do politicians care about our children’s safety? You wouldn’t think so from their lackadaisical attitude to protecting the young from online threats, said Judith Woods in The Daily Telegraph. Ian Russell is all too aware of these dangers. In 2017, his 14-year-old daughter Molly took her own life after viewing graphic content about suicide and self-harm. “I think Molly probably found herself becoming depressed,” he told the BBC. “She was always very self-sufficient and liked to find her own answers. I think she looked towards the internet to give her help and support.” Instead, algorithms led her down a dark path of ever-grimmer content. The UK’s much-anticipated Online Safety Bill was due to tackle this problem by forcing tech platforms to protect users from harmful content. But last week it…

“In God we trust. All others must bring data.”W. Edwards Deming, quoted in The Times “Immortality can always be assured by spectacular error.”J.K. Galbraith, quoted on The Browser “In life as in dance, grace glides on blistered feet.”Alice Abrams, quoted in Forbes “No nice men are good at getting taxis.”Katharine Whitehorn, quoted in The Observer “The opposite of despair is not hope. It’s struggle.”Mordechai Anielewicz, leader of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, quoted in The New York Times “There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact.”Arthur Conan Doyle, quoted in The Economist “Everything I know most surely about morality and duty, I owe to football.”Albert Camus, quoted in The Scotsman “One of the secrets of a happy life is continuous small treats.”Iris Murdoch, quoted on Stuff.co.nz Nothing is more foreign…

To The Daily Telegraph Alexander Larman’s feature on the new Railway Children film comments on the backstory focusing on the US military’s segregation policy during the Second World War. The so-called “Battle of Bamber Bridge” was only one of many such incidents, when black GIs fought against white soldiers, and these conflicts were not confined only to the military police. Upon their arrival in Britain, the American authorities wrote formally to the British government seeking cooperation in upholding the segregation policies within their armed forces. To our credit, the British refused and in many cases black GIs were well-received throughout the country. There were two main reasons for this. Initially, black servicemen were only utilised in non-combat roles and physical labour. They arrived first to set up the infrastructure for…

Not all true-crime podcasts reward “the hours devoted to them”, said Gerard O’Donovan in The Daily Telegraph. But good ones keep coming, and Who Killed Daphne?, by the Reuters reporter Stephen Grey, proves that at their best, “such series are vital outlets for investigative reporting”. In 2017, the assassination of the Maltese investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia made global headlines, exposed a network of corruption in the island nation, and ultimately brought down its government. The story is well-known, but what Grey “brings to the table is extraordinary detail and deep links with many of those directly affected” – plus a “veteran journalist’s flair” for “gripping storytelling”. The opening episode includes a “viscerally shocking” account of the journalist’s murder, “vividly described” by her son Matthew who was at the scene.…

● Heatstroke is very serious for dogs. Skip walks during heatwaves or take dogs out first thing in the morning while it’s still cool. ● Most people know that dogs die in hot cars, but be aware that conservatories and greenhouses are also danger zones. ● Excessive panting and anxiety are signs of heatstroke in dogs. You need to cool your dog down as rapidly as possible, without over-chilling it. Spray or soak their coat with tepid, lukewarm water. If it collapses or has convulsions, take it straight to the vet. ● Protect your dog’s paws from hot surfaces; asphalt roads in particular can get very hot indeed. Gauge the heat with the back of your hand for at least five seconds. ● Older and heavier dogs will need more…

James Caan 1940-2022 James Caan, who has died aged 82, got his break playing a young knife fighter opposite John Wayne in Howard Hawks’s 1966 film El Dorado, but it was his role as Sonny Corleone in The Godfather, six years later, that made his name. He was so convincing as the violent and volatile mobster, that for years afterwards people would edge nervously away from him in bars. He was once denied entry to a country club, because they assumed he was a “wise guy”, and he was twice named Italian of the Year, though he was not even Italian: his parents were Jewish immigrants from Germany. But with a hot temper, a taste for fast living, and some mob friends, Caan was not unlike Sonny, said The Times;…

With stock market sentiment apparently on the up, conditions seemed set fair for London (and Europe’s) largest listing for more than a decade, said Investors’ Chronicle. But excitement greeting the arrival of Haleon on the FTSE 100 proved muted. The consumer healthcare giant, which has been spun out from pharma titan GlaxoSmithKline after a protracted period of wrangling, achieved a £30.5bn valuation, making it the City’s largest float since Glencore in 2011. But, even taking into account some £10.5bn in debt, the figure is still way below the £50bn offered by Unilever in January. The separation, the brainchild of CEO Emma Walmsley, marks “the biggest shift in Glaxo’s corporate history” said Sabah Meddings in The Sunday Times. It survived a derailment attempt by the US activist Elliott Management, and Haleon’s…

Lily Safra When Lily Safra, who has died aged 87, married her fourth husband – the billionaire Lebanese banker Edmond Safra – in 1976, the union was described by a friend as “the irresistible combination of a lady with a past and a man with a future”. It propelled the already wealthy “Gilded Lily” to huge riches and a glittering social life, said The Daily Telegraph. But Edmond’s “bizarre death” in 1999 exposed her to decades of “rumour and innuendo”, only partially alleviated by her extraordinary philanthropy and her prowess as an art collector. Born Lily Watkins, the daughter of a Scottish-born railway engineer who had emigrated to Brazil during the South American railway boom, Lily met Safra in 1969 when she sought his advice on investing the £200m she’d…

Bennifer, with news that the Hollywood stars Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck have tied the knot in Las Vegas, nearly 20 years after breaking off their first engagement. It’s Affleck’s second marriage, and Lopez’s fourth. Breaking glass ceilings, after Winchester College appointed its first female head teacher in its 640-year history. Elizabeth Stone has previously served as the school’s “under master”. Winchester will be welcoming girls for the first time in September, but only in the sixth form – and, initially, they will not be boarding.…

Royal Mail workers have voted overwhelmingly to go on strike in a dispute over pay. On a turnout of 77%, 97.6% of Communication Workers Union members backed the industrial action – over 115,000 workers in total. The strike dates have not been announced, but they are likely to be in August. Royal Mail, which says it is losing £1m a day, has offered its workers a 2% pay rise; the union is demanding closer to 9%. Both sides have said they are still willing to return to the negotiating table.…

Surrey, British Columbia Targeted killing: A Canadian businessman who was acquitted of plotting the 1985 bombing of an Air India flight that killed 329 people has been shot dead in the city of Surrey. Police say that Ripudaman Singh Malik, 75, may have been the victim of a targeted attack. Air India Flight 182 was blown up en route from Toronto to London, and crashed into the sea off the coast of Ireland with the loss of life of all on board. Many of the passengers on the Boeing 747 were Canadian families en route to visit relations in India. The attack was believed to have been perpetrated by Canadian Sikh militants in retaliation for the Indian army’s storming of the Golden Temple in Amritsar – Sikhism’s most revered site.…

“Western democracy has a personnel problem. Rishi Sunak is plainly the best candidate for PM, but in a dire field. In the US, the two most senior Democrats are a pensioner and his maladroit vice-president. The last German election pitted Olaf Scholz against Armin Laschet in a pageant of non-descriptness. For the second time in a decade, Italy has a globocrat called Mario corralling a political class that lacks stature. Look around the major democracies now. Emmanuel Macron, it is true, would have sparkled in any white-collar profession. But who else? The crisis of democracy is the crisis of the restaurant trade and Heathrow airport. You just can’t get the staff.” Janan Ganesh in the FT…

No more “apostrophe laws”, please Leo McKinstry The Spectator Two new crime measures came into force last month, says Leo McKinstry. The first, known as Tony’s Law, enables the courts to impose a life sentence on anyone who causes or allows the abuse of a child in their care. It’s named after Tony Hudgell, who was abused as a baby. The other – Harper’s Law – imposes mandatory life sentences on the killers of emergency workers. It’s named after PC Andrew Harper, who was killed while investigating a burglary. The measures join a growing number of laws named after victims, a practice that began in the US, where it’s sometimes known as “apostrophe law”. Much as one sympathises with the motives of campaigners, it’s a “troubling” trend. A form of…

Microbots to clean our teeth In future, we might be able to throw away our toothbrushes, and instead use swarms of shapeshifting microbots to do the boring job of cleaning and flossing. The bots are based on iron-oxide nanoparticles that have both catalytic and magnetic activity. Using magnetic fields, researchers have found they can direct the particles so that they form either bristle-like structures that can brush dental plaque from the surfaces of the teeth, or elongated floss-like strands that can slip between the teeth, to remove plaque and food debris lodged there. A catalytic reaction also causes the nanoparticles to produce antimicrobials, which kill harmful bacteria. So far, the researchers have only tested the bots on 3D-printed and extracted teeth, but they hope they’d leave most people’s teeth cleaner,…

James Patterson’s books fly off the shelves, but he can leave readers underwhelmed in person, the Daily Mail reports. At an airport bookshop, he noticed a woman with one of his novels in her basket. “I said something like: ‘Oh, you’re going to read one of my books,’” he recalled. The remark did not go down well. “The woman would not believe that it was me. I finally pulled out my wallet and showed her my photo ID — but she still didn’t believe me.” Then she put the book back on the shelf. “That hurt,” Patterson said. Michelle Donelan spent just 36 hours as education secretary before she quit this month, saying that Boris Johnson had put her in “an impossible position”. But her stint was not without reward.…

Many on the left believed that Brexit Britain would be a “backwater run by terrible racist right-winger toffs”, said Zoe Strimpel in The Sunday Telegraph. And yet these so-called racists are now holding the most diverse leadership election in Britain’s history. Six of the original 11 runners, and two of the final four, were from ethnic minority backgrounds; women have also made up the majority during most of the contest. And the Conservative Party has done this “organically, without endless self-aggrandising declarations about diversity and identity”. In terms of diversity at the top, the Tories “have left Labour in the dust”, said Harris Bokhari in the London Evening Standard. The Labour Party, which sees itself as the natural home of ethnic minority voters, has only ever elected leaders who are…

With nine holes to go at this year’s Open – the 150th edition of the tournament – everything suggested that Rory McIlroy would finally end his eight-year major-title drought, said Derek Lawrenson in the Daily Mail. Having started the day in joint first place with Norway’s Viktor Hovland, the ever-popular Northern Irishman had eased into a two-shot lead – and was playing with such calm consistency that a victory looked all but guaranteed. The Open, however, has long been a tournament where “a perfect-looking script doesn’t always translate into a perfect ending”. In 2009, a 59-year-old Tom Watson seemed poised to become the oldest ever major winner – before having his hopes famously dashed by Stewart Cink. Thirteen years on, “it was the turn of poor Rory McIlroy” to be…

Cricket India beat England 2-1 in their ODI series, after winning the deciding game by five wickets. Hampshire won the Vitality Blast with a dramatic last-over victory over Lancashire. Rugby South Africa beat Wales 30-14 to clinch their series 2-1. Argentina also beat Scotland 2-1 after winning the final Test 34-31. Athletics Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, 35, won her fifth 100m world title, defeating her compatriots Shericka Jackson, who took silver, and Tokyo Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah, who claimed bronze.…

Hardbacks The Palace Papers by Tina Brown Century £20 (£15.99) Did Prince Harry really consult MI6 about a therapist? What led to “Megxit”? Tina Brown’s “compulsive” account of royal life since the death of Princess Diana answers these and many other questions, said The Daily Telegraph. Brown is the most mischievous and impatient of royal correspondents, said The Times. Filled with “showboating, brassy details”, The Palace Papers is a “shameless” romp, a “Hogarthian riot”. The Premonitions Bureau by Sam Knight Faber £14.99 (£11.99) This must be “one of the eeriest books of the year”, said The Guardian. It tells the true story of John Barker, a psychiatrist who, in the wake of the Aberfan mining disaster (which various people claimed to have foreseen), set up a “bureau” soliciting premonitions from…

A hidden Van Gogh self-portrait Researchers at the National Galleries of Scotland have discovered what is almost certainly “a previously unknown self-portrait by Vincent van Gogh”, says Annabelle Timsit in The Washington Post. A routine X-ray scan of the painting Head of a Peasant Woman (1884-5), done as part of a cataloguing exercise, revealed the familiar outline of a man, wearing a scarf tied around his throat, hidden deep “under layers of glue and cardboard”. Frances Fowle, the senior curator at the Edinburgh museum, believes that the image is a self-portrait, a view supported by Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum. It is thought that the artist painted the image while living in the town of Nuenen, in the Netherlands, between 1883 and 1885, when he frequently reused canvases in order to…

As Rosie prepares to start school, Ben clumsily observes that she’s put on weight; Pip is furious. At Brad’s first day of haymaking at Grange Farm, he chats to Oliver. George teases Brad for wanting to do A levels and calls Oliver a soft touch; Brad defends him. Helen is overhauling the Bridge Farm website and gets Susan and Clarrie to write online biogs. Pip tells Ben that Rosie didn’t fit into Poppy’s hand-me-downs and that he was right – she’s overweight; Pip feels awful. Brad continues to open up to Oliver, telling him about a maths summer school he’s saving for. Later, Chelsea accuses him of betraying Tracy by being friends with Oliver. George reports that Oliver has hired a telehandler to speed up the harvest. Clarrie reassures Pip…

Long-established vinyl specialist Juno has an ever-expanding range, and is the go-to for any budding DJ or dance-music fan. Orders before 5pm are sent out same day and the service is top-notch (juno.co.uk). Sister Ray is a real authority on vinyl. The shop in Soho is legendary, and the online store has a vast array of music with simple ordering and efficient staff (sisterray.co.uk). The HMV site is as expansive as the shops are. You can search by genre or artist, with limited-edition offerings available. Delivery is fast and well packed (store.hmv.com). Discogs is essentially eBay for music. Items are catalogued with full biographies. You can even set up a wish list for albums and you’ll receive an alert when they come up for sale on the site (discogs.com). Norman…

Visiting white rhinos in Zimbabwe Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park is home to a rich array of big game, including lions, leopards and elephants – and now white rhinos too, says Sue Watt in The Daily Telegraph. Wiped out in the park by poachers 20 years ago, the animals are being reintroduced to a fenced sanctuary carved out of communal land along its southern border, under a “pioneering” scheme created by Mark Butcher of Imvelo Safari Lodges in collaboration with local villagers. This year has seen the first two arrivals, translocated from Malilangwe, 500 miles away, and now guarded by trained local scouts. For guests at Imvelo’s nearby lodges, the trip to see them can easily be combined with game drives in the park and a visit to the Victoria Falls.…

Ivana Trump 1949-2022 As the first wife of Donald Trump, Ivana Trump was at the tycoon’s side as he emerged as one of New York’s best known figures. A power couple, they dominated the city’s glittering social scene in the 1980s, and helped define the era’s reputation for greed and gaudy excess, said The New York Times. A former model from Czechoslovakia, with hair that was big even by 1980s standards, Ivana was more charming than The Donald, as she dubbed him. But she was no mere socialite: a driven businesswoman, she played a critical role in building up his real estate empire; she oversaw the lavish interiors of various “signature projects”, such as the Trump Tower in Manhattan; and she managed some of his prize properties, including the Plaza…

“Travel anxiety is clouding the holiday mood,” said Claer Barrett in the Financial Times. The best mantra is “don’t despair – prepare!”: Cancellations If the airline is at fault, it must book you on alternative flights – even with a rival – and reimburse additional transport costs (limits apply). Airlines must also provide meal vouchers and accommodation if necessary. If cancellations are beyond the airline’s control, “rebooking is a grey area”, dependent on agreements with other airports and carriers. Insurance Read your policy thoroughly – not all policies contain disruption cover and insurers generally expect you to exhaust airline compensation before claiming. Which? also found “huge disparities in Covid cover”: not all policies allow you to claim cancellation costs if you test positive. Plastic You can’t do anything about sterling…

Who’s tipping what: the week’s best buys… Associated British Foods The Sunday Times Shares in the sprawling conglomerate are “way below” pre-Covid levels. Yet its food arm provides “defensive shields” against volatile retail demand, and Primark’s tieups with Disney and Netflix are paying off. Directors are buying. Buy. £15.98. Breedon Group The Daily Telegraph Breedon operates quarries, asphalt and concrete plants across the UK. Having “the right reserves in the right place” should ensure it’s a key player in the Government’s infrastructure splurge. Input cost inflation is low. Buy. 64.4p. Cranswick The Sunday Telegraph The “vertically integrated” sausage-maker farms and supplies meat products. Diversifying into pet and plant-based foods through acquisitions. Strong finances and export growth potential. Buy. £30.68. Forterra The Mail on Sunday New homes need new bricks, and…