Innholdsfortegnelse for V. 1271 i The Week

“Britain has finally declared war on Covid-19,” said The Guardian. In a dramatic announcement this week, Boris Johnson introduced many of the drastic “social distancing” measures already imposed in other countries (see opposite). The Government also promised to make at least £330bn – 15% of GDP – available to underwrite cheap business loans (see page 4). These urgent steps come not a moment too soon. Since it found a human host somewhere in the Chinese city of Wuhan a few months ago, the new strain of coronavirus has caused more than 200,000 cases of Covid-19, and more than 8,000 deaths, around the world. Europe is now officially the centre of the global pandemic. Across the continent, gatherings have been cancelled and states of emergency declared. France has banned people from…

Controversy of the week An economy in shock It’s not just our health that’s in peril, said Martin Wolf in the FT. This pandemic could also turn out to be a bigger threat to our economic well-being than the financial crisis of 2007-09. A nation can only stay in lockdown for so long before it suffers critical damage to its economy, especially when a large proportion of its citizens and companies – as in this country – are already deep in debt. The Government’s call for us to avoid pubs, restaurants, cinemas and theatres can only exacerbate the problem, said Ben Marlow in The Daily Telegraph. High streets are already sprouting signs saying “closed for the foreseeable future”; rail companies have seen a drop of up to 50% in passenger…

Glastonbury, which bowed to the inevitable and cancelled the festival. More than 200,000 people had been expected to descend on Worthy Farm in June, and Paul McCartney and Taylor Swift had been due to perform. The organisers have said ticket holders can have a refund, or roll their deposits over to next year. Soap fans, as the BBC announced that it was suspending production of several of its dramas, including EastEnders, Casualty and Holby City. It means more headaches for TV schedulers, who are also facing yawning gaps created by the cancellation of major sporting events. On Thursday, BBC Question Time was going ahead without a live studio audience.…

52% of Britons aged 25 to 34 say that there’s now so much TV to watch, on so many different channels and streaming services, it’s becoming irritating. One-third of households now find it difficult to keep track of what they want to watch. 64% of 55- to 65-year-olds say that the traditional TV channels still offer the best quality content, but that figure falls to 40% among 18- to 34-year-olds. EY/The Times 59% of Britons say they trust the chief medical adviser to the UK government to give good advice about the coronavirus; 55% trust the director general of the WHO. However, only 36% have confidence in the Prime Minister on the subject, and 37% in the Health Secretary, Matt Hancock. Opinium/The Observer…

Sandberg on leadership As the author of Lean In, a bestselling guide for women in the workplace, Sheryl Sandberg is the “guru of female empowerment”, says Eleanor Mills in The Sunday Times. So what does the Facebook COO think explains women’s under-representation in senior business roles? It is down to likeability, she says. “The data shows conclusively that as men get more successful they are better liked by women and men – but as women get more successful they are less liked by both.” They are victims, she adds, of an “insidious bias”. Girls do well at school and university; but in the workplace, success depends on leadership and assertiveness – and assertive women are deemed “difficult”. “I see it all the time. To be perceived as a woman yelling,…

Police in the US are trained to respond to a wide variety of urgent situations – but the coronavirus outbreak has thrown up a new one. A police department in Newport, Oregon, has issued a reminder on its Facebook page, asking members of the public not to dial the emergency number if they run out of loo roll. “It is hard to believe that we even have to post this”, said a spokesperson. “Do not call 911 just because you ran out of toilet paper. You will survive without our assistance.” A woman in Vancouver thought she was doing her bit to halt the spread of the virus by carefully washing her hands with a lump of unscented soap she kept by the sink. After a couple of days, however,…

Britain’s drive to become carbon neutral by 2050 is almost certain to involve difficult choices for consumers, a government-created agency has warned. In a report entitled “Innovating to Net Zero”, the not-for-profit group Energy Systems Catapult attempts to describe the changes that will be needed if Britain is to meet its climate change target. Many are the responsibility of government and business: up to 124,000 acres of trees will need to be planted; there will need to be big investment in carbon capture and storage; and a massive expansion of wind and solar energy, to power electric cars and heat homes. But the report also predicts that two key “lifestyle changes” will be needed: cutting consumption of meat and dairy by up to a half, and curtailing growth in flying.…

“Wars and elections are both too big and too small to matter in the long run. The daily work – that goes on, that adds up.” Writer Barbara Kingsolver, quoted in The Times “We are far too ready to conclude that just because we have words in our language for something, there must be something for the words to describe.” Matthew Parris, ibid. “The past is always trickling under the soil, a slow leak you can’t trace.” Hilary Mantel, quoted in the Financial Times “A sense of duty is useful in work, but offensive in personal relations.” Bertrand Russell, quoted in Forbes “Man is the only animal that can remain on friendly terms with the victims he intends to eat until he eats them.” Samuel Butler, quoted in Lapham’s Quarterly…

The centre’s weakness To The Guardian In his article, Prof Jan-Werner Müller blames Hungary and Poland for the inability of Europe’s mainstream parties to meet voter demands and develop effective policies on an array of pressing issues. He says “mainstream conservatives have capitulated to the authoritarianism of the far-right”, when, in fact, it was Europe’s centre-right that voluntarily abandoned its traditional, Christian democratic values and adopted an increasingly left-liberal view on topics that matter to the voters. Contrary to what the author suggests, political parties don’t become popular overnight and without reason. If one party wins more votes, that’s generally an indication of popular support for what that party stands for. Could it be the case that the recent decline of Europe’s so-called mainstream conservatives is, therefore, a sign that…

Best books… Hadley Freeman The journalist and author chooses her favourite books. Her new family memoir, House of Glass: The Story and Secrets of a Twentieth-Century Jewish Family, is published by 4th Estate, priced £16.99 Possession by A.S. Byatt, 1990 (Vintage £9.99). A book within a book: one story is about two modern academics researching the connection between two Victorian poets, and the other is the actual truth of the connection. Funny, clever, heartbreaking – you will never look at the British Library the same way again. Heartburn by Nora Ephron, 1983 (Virago £9.99). Ephron lightly fictionalised the brutal breakdown of her marriage to Carl Bernstein, and in doing so wrote not just the funniest novel ever written about divorce, but the funniest novel ever. Only the truly talented make…

At Grey Gables, where Philip’s workman is fixing the broken pipe, Lynda apologises to Freddie but he rebuffs her. Emma and Tracy step outside to talk and then hear the sound of an explosion from the kitchen. Chaos ensues: Oliver is in shock as Roy evacuates staff and guests, but no one can find Lynda. Trapped in the rubble, Freddie comes to and finds Lynda and the workman, both badly injured and unconscious. He drags Lynda to safety and paramedics try to revive her. At the hospital, Jim tries to comfort and calm a distraught and angry Robert, who later tells Oliver he’ll hold him responsible if anything happens to Lynda. Freddie is discharged and hailed as a hero by the Echo. Kirsty says some people are pointing the finger…

Chilli ponzu edamame If you have a short attention span, this is the edamame for you. They are really spicy, so at the very least they’re not going to be boring. Avoid if you are prone to heartburn! A few splashes of very hot chilli sauce juice of ½ a lime 1 tbsp soy sauce 2 tsp sesame seeds 1 tsp shichimi or similar chilli powder 250g frozen edamame • Have all the seasonings measured and ready. Boil the edamame from frozen until tender, about 2-3 minutes, then drain. Immediately toss with all of the seasonings. Triple sesame edamame Three forms of sesame – white, black and oil – double down on edamame’s subtle nuttiness, making these exceptionally moreish. 1 tbsp black sesame seeds, roasted and crushed 1 tbsp white…

● Washing your hands is more about the water than the soap. Warm water is best and do use soap, but most importantly, try to get a lot of water over your hands. ● Eat lots of different-coloured fruits and vegetables, ideally with the skins on, for nutrients and fibre. Eat sourdough bread, too, which is full of gut-friendly fibre. ● Sleep is the “bedrock” of the immune system, because melatonin stimulates new immune cells, so get plenty of it. ● Try to be active and build muscle where possible. Movement throughout the day is essential for the lymphatic system. ● Drink a lot of water. Being dehydrated can change the mucus in your respiratory and digestive tracts, which holds antibodies. ● Some studies suggest vitamin D and zinc supplements…

Cosmoledo Wizard Island, Seychelles Set on a remote island in the Seychelles atoll from which it takes its name, this eco-camp offers its guests “a wonderfully Crusoe-like experience”, says Tatler. It consists of eight “eco-pods” made out of shipping containers that have been plumbed, wired and “ingeniously” furnished. There is air con, but “the biggest luxury here is the isolation”. Turtles share the sand with you, and there are fine dive sites nearby. The deep-sea fishing is good and the flyfishing even better. The seafood is fresh, of course, and served, whether as sashimi or barbecued, under “some of the most unpolluted star-lit skies in the world”. From $950 per person per night.bluesafari.com.…

French chef who revolutionised the British restaurant scene Michel Roux 1941-2020 Michel Roux, who has died aged 78, arrived in Britain in the 1960s – and spent the next few decades transforming the dining experience in his adopted country. With his older brother Albert, he opened Le Gavroche in 1967, on London’s Lower Sloane Street – the first British restaurant to win three Michelin stars. Back then, British cooking was a “joke”, said Pierre Koffmann in The Guardian. “Restaurants would just serve avocado with mayonnaise and sausage rolls, with half a grapefruit and cherry confit on top for dessert.” If you were lucky, you might get smoked salmon, but “everything was overcooked”. The Roux brothers not only showed London what was possible, with the right ingredients and expertise, they trained…

Another day, another set of gruesome announcements from companies holed by the coronavirus. Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s £12bn “budget bazooka” soon began to look like a peashooter”, said Patrick Hosking in The Times. The virus has put unprecedented pressure on small businesses: a report last week by business loans provider Market Finance found that 69% of small companies were facing “significant” financial pressure, even before “the real pinch” of containment measures, said Peter Evans in The Sunday Times. No wonder there was such pressure on Sunak to go further. France’s President Macron upped the ante with a e300bn guarantee that no French company will go bust as a result of social distancing. Sunak has now followed suit with a £350bn “whatever it takes” package. It still looks a tall order, said…

Experian Investors Chronicle The global information services firm gathers, manages and analyses data for personal credit-scoring and business-to-business operations. Margins are rising steadily as it expands into new sectors and territories. Buy. £24.70. Hill & Smith The Daily Telegraph Hill & Smith makes galvanised road barriers and has a “very profitable” business renting them out. A well-run, stellar performer with a strong balance sheet that’s “broadly immune” from the coronavirus. Buy. £13.10. Polymetal International The Sunday Telegraph Shares in the FTSE 100’s only precious metals miner are rising with the price of gold. Costs and output should remain steady, but exposure to Russia means geopolitical uncertainty. Risky, but yields 5%. Buy. £12.23. St Modwen Properties The Daily Telegraph The “brownfield” regeneration specialist has repositioned its commercial portfolio towards industrial and…

Every Friday and Saturday night, a church in Soho has been opening itself up as a “safe space” where drunken revellers can sleep it off before making their way home. “I don’t sit here in judgment on people who’ve decided to get bladdered on a Friday night,” said the Rev Simon Buckley, adding that a clean-up operation takes place before the Sunday morning service. Some of us have been buying hand sanitisers and baked beans to survive the coronavirus; rich Americans have been investing in bunkers. Atlas Survival Shelters in the US, whose metal units cost from $25,000 for a basic model, sold their entire stock last week. At the top end of the market, bunkers come with three years’ supply of food, and cost $3m.…

The Metropolitan Police has failed to adequately respond to criticism of its conduct during Operation Midland, the police watchdog has found. The investigation, sparked by false claims about a VIP Westminster paedophile ring, cost £2.5m, but led to no arrests. A review concluded in 2016 that there had been 43 police failings. Last week, the Inspectorate of Constabulary said the Met had waited three years before acting on that report’s advice, and that it had been more concerned with “restricting access” to the review than with “learning lessons from it”.…

Brussels Parties unite: Belgium’s warring political parties have set aside their differences to fight the coronavirus. After 15 months of wrangling, they agreed this week to back a minority government, which has now introduced a series of measures to tackle the crisis. Unveiled by interim PM Sophie Wilmès, these oblige all citizens to remain at home as much as possible. Only food shops and chemists remain open, and though people are encouraged to exercise outside, they can only go to work safety regulations are complied with. Non-essential travel abroad is forbidden, and hairdressers can have just one client at a time. Paris Nation “on war footing”: France pressed ahead with nationwide municipal elections on Sunday, even as anti-coronavirus measures were being stepped up. A few hours before polling opened, the…

1* Bring Me Sunshine by Arthur Kent and Sylvia Dee, performed by Morecambe & Wise 2 We Will All Go Together When We Go, written and performed by Tom Lehrer 3 Where Is My Mind? by Black Francis, performed by the Pixies 4 He’s Simple, He’s Dumb, He’s The Pilot by Jason Lytle, performed by Grandaddy 5 Killer Parties by Craig Finn and Tad Kubler, performed by The Hold Steady 6 Into My Arms by Nick Cave, performed by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds 7 Emily, written and performed by Joanna Newsom 8 Attaboy by Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer and Chris Thile, performed by Yo-Yo Ma Book: The Norton Anthology of Poetry Luxury: pencil and paper * Choice if allowed only one record…

YES 1. They were stolen from Greece – or, at the very best, taken with the permission of a brutal imperial occupier. 2. They are a crucial part of Greek culture; keeping them in Britain betrays an arrogant colonial-style mindset. 3. They are best seen in the context of Athens, and the Parthenon, for which they were originally made. NO 1. Elgin took them legally, and saved them from a worse fate; the British Museum has owned them and cared for them since 1816. 2. The marbles are an important part of world heritage; the British Museum is uniquely well-suited to display them as such. 3. Agreeing to all such demands would empty the world’s greatest museums of many of their most prized artefacts.…

The perils of “third-hand” smoke Just because no one is smoking around you, it doesn’t mean you’re not at risk from smoking. Previous studies have shown that compounds from cigarette smoke can linger in houses for weeks after the smoker has moved out; now, a study has found that even in rooms where no one has ever smoked, the air may be contaminated by compounds carried in on smokers’ clothes. To further investigate the phenomenon of “third-hand smoke”, researchers from Yale University fitted pollution sensors to the air ducts of a strictly non-smoking cinema in Germany. Over four days, these detected sharp spikes in 35 tobacco-related chemicals, including toxic compounds such as benzene and formaldehyde, when people entered the auditorium; the researchers also found that levels were up to 200%…

“Not so long ago, 2020 was shaping up to be a vintage summer of sport,” said The Independent. Apart from “the usual annual delights”, there would be the Tokyo Olympics and Euro 2020. In the middle of last week, the Premier League was insisting that the weekend’s fixtures would be played as usual. Then, after Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and Chelsea star Callum Hudson-Odoi both tested positive for the coronavirus, all professional football in the UK was called off until at least early April. “Most of Europe has also abandoned the beautiful game.” The same goes for rugby, motor racing, cricket, tennis, cycling, baseball, basketball, American football and golf – even darts. The Euros have been postponed, and it seems only a matter of time before the Olympics follow suit.…

To The Times At 83 and still the full-on executive chairman of Trailfinders, I feel compelled to question the disproportionate measures adopted to try to contain Covid-19. Were this virus singling out infants and children then no measure could be too draconian. But almost all the fatalities relate to hastening the end of very long lives. Death is sad and unwelcome, but nature prepares us year by year for this inevitable outcome. Very unhelpfully this virus is being politicised, and leaders are choosing to overreact for fear of criticism. The measures adopted are undoing much of the good of globalisation; the damage threatens to eclipse that which the virus itself would have inflicted given more restrained measures. Mike Gooley, London To The Guardian The stigma attached to old age (feebleness,…

Misbehaviour Dir: Philippa Lowthorpe 1hr 46mins (12A) When pageants and politics collide ★★★ Misbehaviour transports us back to 1970, and the Miss World contest that was disrupted by furious women’s libbers, said Deborah Ross in The Spectator. Keira Knightley and Jessie Buckley are the firebrands lobbing flour bombs, and Greg Kinnear plays Bob Hope – the ageing chauvinist compering the pageant. Framed as a comedy drama, it’s all quite fun and entertaining. It’s also fascinating to be reminded of what an astonishing event Miss World was, with its global audience of 100 million and women wearing numbered discs on their wrists. But the key point about the 1970 contest was that for the first time, it was won by a black woman – Jennifer Hosten, who was Miss Grenada (Gugu…

Iwan Lewis: Annwn at Sid Motion Gallery Iwan Lewis’s paintings are absorbing things that draw the viewer in with allusions to fauvism, Matisse-like figuration and dense, impenetrable depictions of natural scenery. This exhibition draws heavily on the Welsh language and folk mythology – “Annwn”, the show’s title, being the Celtic equivalent of the Elysian Fields, a place of abundance and eternal youth. Throughout, Lewis (b.1980) employs flowing outlines that distinguish the figures in his compositions from the chaotic contexts in which they find themselves. Every painting here is thrillingly dramatic: lonely figures or hybrid human-animal creatures drawn in naïf form shield their eyes from the spectator’s view; the backgrounds, meanwhile, are tumultuous, storms of clashing colour that suggest harsh natural extremes. There are some unexpected art historical references here:…

Autocar Volkswagen has decided to enter the “ever-expanding” world of performance crossovers. The T-Roc is the maker’s latest model to get a high-performance version with the “R” badge, following in the Golf’s footsteps. And it’s an impressive, very fast machine; it gets from 0-62mph in 4.8 seconds. But whether drivers of the T-Roc need a sporty version with this much power is not really clear. Auto Express Driving it around town at normal speeds, you might not realise the T-Roc R’s potential. But given the chance, the 2.0-litre, four-cylinder turbo petrol engine is “relentless”. It has 296bhp, and is paired with a smooth seven-speed automatic gearbox. The car’s “direct, light” steering and comfortable suspension make it very easy to drive hard, and the four-wheel drive gives it excellent grip on…

Popping up in Hertfordshire, Cheshire and Bristol over three weekends in May and June, Dogfest is a wild day out for dogs, featuring hay-bale racing, flyball and dog diving (adults £18; dog-fest.co.uk). North Yorkshire’s Castle Howard Festival of Dogs has dog shows and grooming, as well as an obstacle course and lots of stalls (8-10 May; adults £13; castlehoward.co.uk). Dogstival in the New Forest offers glamping and dog paddleboarding. There are shows, demonstrations, music, food and even a chapel for dog marriages (16-17 May; adults £13.90; dogstival.co.uk). In support of animal charities, Woofstock in Devon has talks, demos and dog ice cream stalls during the day, and music at night (7-9 August; adults £38; woofstockuk.co.uk). A festival that welcomes dogs, but isn’t all about dogs, The Good Life Experience on…

Fellini’s childhood haunts This year is the centenary of Federico Fellini’s birth, and fans looking to follow in the film director’s footsteps might consider a trip to Rimini, says Juliet Rix in The Daily Telegraph. He grew up in this little city on Italy’s Adriatic coast, made regular visits throughout his life (always staying at the “glorious” Grand Hotel), and was buried here. He also featured it in his films, even reconstructing its main square at Rome’s Cinecittà Studios for his 1973 Oscar-winner Amarcord. A tour should include his childhood homes, the nine-mile-long beach (“deserted and atmospheric” in winter, just as in the films), the splendid art nouveau Cinema Fulgor, and the cathedral (with its Giotto crucifix and Piero della Francesca fresco) where he tried to steal from the alms…

Netflix: golden dawn? As bunker mentality takes hold, Twitter has been full of memes about how Netflix, the world’s biggest video streamer, must be laughing all the way to the bank. In their quest for stocks that could weather the storm, some traders seem to agree, said Lizzy Gurdus on CNBC. “It’s always darkest before the DAWN,” quips Mark Tepper of Strategic Wealth Partners, quoting “Wall Street’s newest stock acronym”. Tepper’s plan is to major on D for Domino’s Pizza; A for Activision video games; W for Walmart, where you get your toilet paper; and N for Netflix. He suggests steering clear of other homebody tech stocks, such as Facebook and Google – because “small businesses” are likely “to start cutting back on advertising spending on their platforms”. Netflix…

Can we trust the kindness of bosses? Alex Brummer Daily Mail The objective of Rishi Sunak’s plan to fire some 15% of GDP at the coronavirus is “not just to keep commerce alive and kicking”, says Alex Brummer. It’s also “to restore confidence”. The Chancellor is hoping that his catchphrase “whatever it takes” will turn the tide as effectively as when it was last deployed – by the former European Central Bank president Mario Draghi during the 2012 euro crisis. As well as providing a “massive” economic boost, the loan package should ensure healthy companies can pay employees and keep supply chains open. There are bound to be complaints that it merely adds to debt loads – the BoE has outlined “there will be no free lunches for badly run…

● Fever gripped The Chancellor unleashed a huge stimulus; the US went further with a $1trn package – and still markets kept falling, said BBC Business. Not even these massive sums could “quell worries” about Covid-19’s economic impact. Having already hit an eight-year low, the FTSE 100 index dived a further 5% on Wednesday as panic-selling continued. And many predicted no end in sight. The virus has come “out of nowhere, but it cannot be blamed for what may turn out to be a prolonged market hiatus”, argued Fred Cleary of Pegasus Capital. “This market was in trouble long before it hit. Stocks had been pumped and primed on endless monetary policy easing measures” – just a few weeks ago, they were at record peaks. The bigger the climb, the…

Capita Investors Chronicle The outsourcer is shifting towards higher-margin consultancy, digital services and software provision. But the turnaround has been slower and more costly than anticipated and debt has soared. Sell. 78p. Derwent London The Daily Telegraph This real-estate investment trust has had a “super run”, having cut vacancies and increased rental income with “a nice spread” of tenants. No longer a bargain, but a solid play on the London property market. Hold. £39.20. Devro Investors Chronicle The sausage-casing provider’s decline in its key mature markets (UK, Japan and Europe) is worrying. But it continues to cut costs and the targeted growth strategy in emerging markets is promising. Hold. 151p. IAG The Times Based on leverage and cash, the airline group shouldn’t be in jeopardy. But suspended, reduced and cancelled…

How deadly is the virus? Probably between 0.5% and 2% of people infected die, but we just don’t know. The “case fatality rate” is a figure reached by monitoring large numbers over the course of a disease and dividing the deaths by the number of cases. On-the-hoof estimates, like the World Health Organisation’s 3.4%, are likely very wrong: they’re based on severe cases, when mild infections go unreported. Besides, the rate changes radically according to age and the health-service response. China’s statistics suggest a shockingly high fatality rate of 14.8% for people 80 or older; but only 0.2% of those aged 10-19; and none at all for the under-tens. Italy’s fatality rate is thought to have been so high – at least 5% – because it has the oldest population…

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who was temporarily released from jail in Iran, along with 85,000 other prisoners, as part of Tehran’s efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Forced to wear a tag, she must stay within 300 metres of her parents’ house, and has been instructed to return to Evin prisonon 4 April. The hairy shore bug, which now has a better chance of survival, thanks to the creation of a “super” nature reserve in Dorset. Purbeck Heaths covers more than 8,000 acres of land previously managed by seven separate agencies. Exceptionally biodiverse, it is home to 450 rare species, including Dartford warblers, sand lizards and the critically endangered bug, which is so rare, it has only been recorded three times in Britain. Zoom, the video conferencing app, which has…

The younger brother of the Manchester Arena bomber has been found guilty of 22 charges of murder, and now faces life in jail. Twenty-two children and adults were killed, and many more were injured, when Salman Abedi, a radical Islamist, detonated his suicide vest in May 2017, at the end of an Ariana Grande concert. Hashem Abedi helped his brother build the bomb, and is believed to be the last person he spoke to on the night of the attack. Both brothers had flown to Libya a month before the attack. Salman Abedi flew back to carry it out; Hashem Abedi was later extradited.…

“Not that long ago, but it feels like a lost age, the Big Worry used to be that there was nothing to talk about over the water cooler any more. Because we watched our own flavour of streamed television and were targeted with personalised ads on Facebook, we in the 21st century had no common cause. Even the little list of events comprising the news was kind of irrelevant. We were never going to have a national conversation again. We wish. In fact, public debate has not been fracturing but snowballing. Now we have a giant rolling snowball of ‘mono-news’, a single topic that obliterates all others for years at a time. First Trump, then Brexit, now the pandemic: the water cooler is so busy it needs constant disinfection.” Helen…

Oh Jeremy, we’ll hate it when you go Matthew Parris The Times The Tories are badly going to miss Jeremy Corbyn, says Matthew Parris. For a party that has always defined itself more by what it is against than what it is for, he has been the perfect gift. After all, the Conservatives have never had a clear philosophy of their own: they’ve at times supported then opposed free trade, been for then against individual liberty, been pro-EU then anti-EU. The party’s sole consistent thread over the past century has been its aversion to the “ogres” of socialism which the Left has obligingly served up in the form of such easily caricatured figures as Arthur Scargill and GLC leader “Red” Ken Livingstone. Tony Blair failed to oblige, though it managed…

LUXEMBOURG Free transport for all isn’t such a big deal Le Quotidien (Esch-sur-Alzette) Luxembourg has become the first country in the world to offer free public transport for all, says David Marques. From 29 February, the government began ticketless transport on all its trains, buses and trams. The announcement won international praise, including from US presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders, who hailed it as the sort of “aggressive” action needed to cut carbon emissions. Luxembourg’s government went even further; posters and ministers likened the move to “the first step on the Moon” and “the invention of the wheel”. (Our nation, as the artist Serge Tonnar has noted, is permanently “trapped between an inferiority complex and megalomania”.) For sure, this is a daring move. But let’s not get carried away. Luxembourg’s population…

In the coronavirus crisis, delivery companies have received a surge in orders from consumers unwilling, or unable, to leave their homes. But is getting goods delivered safe – or could the virus be transmitted on plastic packaging? In an attempt to find out, researchers in the US spritzed it onto seven materials found in homes and hospitals, to see how long it remained infectious, reports the MIT Technology Review. They found that the virus survived longest – for at least three days – on plastic and stainless steel. Swirled around in an air chamber, it remained active for three hours. Although the findings raise the possibility of the virus lingering on delivered goods, experts believe the risk of this kind of transmission is very low: if delivered goods were a…

If you’re wondering what to wear in a pandemic, Naomi Campbell has the answer. This week, the supermodel arrived at LAX in full “hazmat” suit, pink rubber gloves, face mask and goggles. And it wasn’t the first time that she had demonstrated her full commitment to in-flight hygiene, said The Daily Telegraph: last summer, she posted a video showing how she painstakingly anti-bacs her seat each time she flies. “This is what I do every plane I get on,” she said. “I don’t care what people think of me.” In a new memoir, Rachel Johnson explains that she makes a modest living as a journalist, but that her passion is for tennis. Last year she played the former PM David Cameron, and noted the escalating intensity of the expletives he…

The WBC heavyweight champion of the world has faced many grave challenges in his life, said Sean Ingle in The Guardian. At birth Tyson Fury – now 6ft 9ins tall – weighed less than a pound and doctors feared he’d never survive. But his father, who named him after the then heavyweight champion, assured them his son would emulate his namesake. And Fury went on to do just that by beating Wladimir Klitschko in 2015, although questions were raised when that same year he tested positive for the banned steroid nandrolone. Soon after, Fury became addicted to cocaine and alcohol, ballooned to 28 stone and suffered severe depression. However, last month he managed to overcome all that and regain the heavyweight title by beating the US fighter Deontay Wilder in…

The main problem with ITV’s new six-part Sunday night saga, said Jan Moir in the Daily Mail, is that it’s not Downton Abbey South. Although Belgravia is also written by Julian Fellowes and produced “by the same wonderful team which turned Downton into a smash” – though it’s full of “axe-faced duchesses’ and snobbery and icy glances – it ends up falling short. Maybe it’s because in the first episode, set on the eve of Waterloo, most of the characters “seem such frightful rotters”. Or because “the chap we’re meant to like”, the socially ambitious husband (Philip Glenister) of Tamsin Greig, who supplies goods to the Duke of Wellington’s army, is so hard to take seriously: his mutton-chop whiskers look as if “they sleep in a hutch and need regular…

Do you fancy buying a Picasso for e100? Nature Morte – meaning still life – a 1921 painting of a newspaper and a bottle of absinthe by the Spanish master, is being raffled off for charity on 30 March. The painting, estimated to be worth between £1.54m and £2.3m, is currently owned by the billionaire art dealer David Nahmad, who owns 300 works by Picasso and claims to be the world’s biggest private collector of his art. Nahmad thinks that the artist would have liked the idea. “Picasso was very generous,” he said. “He wanted his art to be collected by all kinds of people, not only by the super-rich.” The money raised will go to Care, a charity that brings clean water to communities in Africa. The aim is…

Programmes The Nest New drama about an affluent Glasgow couple who are faced with a dilemma when a teenager enters their lives and offers to be their surrogate. Sun 22 Mar, BBC1 21:00 (60mins). Putin: A Russian Spy Story Three-part documentary series exploring how Putin’s past as a spy has influenced his presidency and politics, and shaped modern Russia. Mon 23 Mar, C4 21:00 (60mins). Growing Up Gifted Looking at social mobility through the lives of six bright teens from disadvantaged backgrounds. As season three begins, the boys face their GCSEs. Wed 25 Mar, BBC2 21:00 (60mins). Harry Birrell Presents Films of Love and War A personal history of WWII and beyond, told through the films and diaries of a Scottish soldier. Narrated by Richard Madden. Wed 25 Mar, BBC4…

Astell&Kern SR15 For the true audiophiles, Astell&Kern’s MP3 players offer exceptionally high sound quality. They are pricey, but have tonnes of features and a fun, tilted touch screen (£470; amazon.co.uk). iPod touch Cheaper and simpler than an iPhone, the iPod touch is alive and well (though it is now Apple’s only iPod). You can use streaming services like Spotify as well as your music library, and it has a camera (£200; apple.com). San Disk Clip Jam If you want a cheap device you don’t have to worry about while out running, for example, the Clip Jam is perfect. It’s simple to use, the sound quality is decent, and it even has an FM radio (£24.50; amazon.co.uk). Sony Walkman NW-A55L Simple to use and load music onto – either via USB…

Chiltern Hills steam trail Rolling off from Aylesbury, glide through attractive scenery and visit five steam venues over four nights. From £589pp b&b, including rail travel and excursions. 01538-382323, railtrail.co.uk. Depart 21 May. Scottish Highlands break Enjoy this self-guided walking holiday with a four-night stay at Alltshellach, situated on the shores of Loch Leven, from £419pp full-board. 020-3974 8865, hfholidays.co.uk. Depart 16 June. Five-star city centre stay The Grandium Hotel Prague is located around the corner from Wenceslas Square. A 3-night stay costs from £238pp b&b, including flights. 01903-258 288, loveholidays.com. Depart 30 June. A week in Kenya Stay at the boutique village-style Pinewood Beach Resort and Spa, right on Galu Beach, from £939pp half-board, including London flights. 01342-887119, tropicalsky. co.uk. Depart 12 June. Browse our selection of unique and…

Markets remained in freefall as the coronavirus continued to batter the world economy – despite interventions. The US Fed made a second emergency rate cut: cutting rates by 1% to close to zero. As panic selling accelerated, airline and transport stocks were badly hit by the imposition of travel bans, which also drove the price of oil still lower: benchmark Brent crude fell to below $28/barrel. The pound crashed to its lowest level since the 1980s, falling to $1.188 against the dollar. Wall Street’s “fear gauge”, the “Vix” volatility index, which often spikes during market crashes, surpassed the level of the 2008 financial crisis, jumping by 43% on Monday amid growing fears of a financial crunch. The Philippines became the first country to close its stock markets amid speculation that…

Andrew Bailey “When Andrew Bailey was appointed governor of the Bank of England in December, the job already looked tough,” said The Economist. Yet his first week in the post has presented an extraordinary challenge, even for an “experienced technocrat” of his standing. The Bank’s “new set of eyebrows” is plunging straight into the Covid-19 crisis at a point when “the economic dislocation caused by the disease looks set to drag not just into the second quarter of the year, but, perhaps, into the third as well”. Talk about taking the hot seat. A product of Leicester’s Wyggeston Grammar School and then Queens’ College, Cambridge, Bailey, 60, is controversial in some quarters: campaigner Gina Miller claims his leadership of the Financial Conduct Authority was characterised by a “toxic cocktail of…

Britain’s Financial Conduct Authority has banned traders from short-selling (betting against) more than 150 stricken Italian and Spanish shares. Many in the City are urging it not to take similar action over London-listed shares, arguing “it would restrict the proper functioning of the market”, said Oliver Gill in The Sunday Telegraph. It’s easy to see why. “Bets against currency and shares” have been paying off “handsomely” for UK hedge funds as fears of a prolonged recession grip investors. Long-standing short positions against multiplex chain Cineworld alone returned around £150m “for a handful of funds that bet on its debt-fuelled acquisition spree ending in disaster”. Short-sellers have also “prospered by correctly betting that an early interest rate cut would trigger a fall in sterling”. The crisis has also given a fillip…