Innholdsfortegnelse for V. 1349 i The Week

What happened Boris Johnson’s manifesto-busting plan to raise new taxes to fund health and social care passed its crucial second reading in the Commons this week. The Prime Minister’s working majority of 83 was reduced, but a modest Tory rebellion came nowhere near derailing the legislation, which will raise national insurance (NI) by 1.25 percentage points for both workers and employers next year. The plan will generate an extra £12bn a year in revenue, and take UK public spending to its highest ever level in peacetime as a percentage of GDP. Despite talk of a widespread backbench revolt and Cabinet splits, only five Tory MPs rebelled in the vote last week that introduced the bill. But ministers faced a hostile reception from some grass-roots party members when they returned to…

“Eighteen months after the first lockdown, Britain is learning what it looks like to live with coronavirus,” said the Financial Times. New cases are still averaging more than 30,000 a day; over 8,400 Covid-19 patients are in hospital; about 130 people in the UK are dying of it daily. “Schools, meanwhile, are open, sports stadiums bustling, and customers elbow-to-elbow in pubs, restaurants and theatres.” Vaccines have broken the link between infection and serious illness; but the pandemic is “far from over”. And in its autumn and winter Covid plan, unveiled on Tuesday, the Government steered “a careful path between an excess of either caution or complacency”. For now, Plan A, outlined by Health Secretary Sajid Javid, involves trying to contain the virus without social restrictions. Measures include booster vaccines for…

Hellisheiði, Iceland Carbon capture: The world’s largest carbon-capturing plant, built on a barren plateau by Swiss company Climeworks, began operation last week. The Orca plant – named after the Icelandic word for energy – is designed to suck carbon out of the air and turn it into rock. Made up of eight metal boxes the size of shipping containers, it uses renewable energy sources to power vast fans that suck in air. A heat and filter system is then used to isolate the CO2, which is mixed with water and pumped into caverns 1km underground, where the gas is mineralised – locking it away inside solid rock. The technology could prove vital in combating climate change, but is not yet commercially viable at scale. The plant, reported to have cost…

1 Don’t Make Me Over by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, performed by Dionne Warwick 2 War by Carlton Barrett and Allan Cole, performed by Bob Marley and the Wailers 3 Pata Pata by Miriam Makeba and Jerry Ragovoy, performed by Miriam Makeba 4 Color Him Father by Richard Lewis Spencer, performed by The Winstons 5 What’s Going On by Al Cleveland, Renaldo Benson and Marvin Gaye, performed by Marvin Gaye 6 Another Day in Paradise written and performed by Phil Collins 7* That’s What Friends Are For by Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager, performed by Dionne Warwick 8 Who the Cap Fit by Bob Marley, performed by Bob Marley and The Wailers Book: Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela Luxury: a football * Choice if allowed only one record…

US cruise missiles were removed from Greenham as a result of the Reykjavik Summit, held in 1986 between Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev, who had become General Secretary of the USSR a year earlier. Gorbachev unexpectedly agreed to a US “zero option” proposal to eliminate all intermediate-range missiles. The result was the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty of 1987; Soviet weapons inspectors were admitted to Greenham in 1988. There are some who argue that Margaret Thatcher, who helped broker the summit, actually did more to lift the nuclear threat than the peace protesters did. However, Gorbachev later specifically said that the Greenham women influenced his decision to go to Reykjavik, and one of Reagan’s advisers later said that the “zero option” had been copied “straight off the women’s banners”. Their…

A charity raffle in Frome in Somerset had to be cancelled after a man tried to exploit a loophole to win the prize – a SsangYong car. Entrants were asked to donate £5 per raffle ticket; the money was meant to be shared between Frome Town FC and a local food bank. But gambling laws meant the organisers also had to allow people to enter the contest for free by sending a postcard. Frome Town FC said that one morning, “a box of 2,001 postcards” was found on the club’s doorstep. “All from just one man, and worse, a local Frome man… We’ve been a little too trusting and maybe a little naive”. While playing the Princess of Wales in the forthcoming film Spencer, Kristen Stewart had a little supernatural…

SPAIN The bishop, the divorcée, and the devil El País (Madrid) Xavier Novell, the ultra-conservative Bishop of Solsona, has stepped down to be with his lover, an author of erotic fiction, says Manuel Jabois. Novell was tipped for great things in the Church after being made Spain’s youngest bishop, aged 41, in 2010. But last month he abruptly resigned, citing personal reasons. It has recently emerged that he’d quit after falling “madly in love” with Silvia Caballol Clemente, a divorced mother of two, whom he met at a demonology course. Her most recent novel, The Hell in Gabriel’s Lust, promises “prisons, psychopathy, sects, sadism, madness, lust” and more. The pairing is doubtless “peculiar”; but it’s the response of Novell’s former Church colleagues that is really baffling. Having condoned his fundamentalist…

Humpback whales are famous for their songs, but while the males in the southern hemisphere develop new tunes every year; their counterparts in the northern Atlantic stick to golden oldies that only gradually evolve. And now researchers from Royal Holloway, University of London, think they have worked out why, reports The Guardian. It seems that the northern whales – whose movements are confined by the continents on either side – tend to all be funnelled into the same area during their feeding season. The males interact and pass around the tweaks to their songs, so they end up singing the same one, which changes only gradually over the years. By contrast, the southern whales, being more spread out, do not meet in feeding season, and only interact with neighbouring populations.…

There were a great many political fashion statements at this year’s New York Met Gala ball. The congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez attended the $35,000-per-ticket elite event wearing a white designer gown emblazoned with the words “TAX THE RICH”. It was important, she explained, to “challenge… the institutions”.” Thank you @AOC!” said the parody Twitter account Titania McGrath. “The most effective way to tackle economic inequality is through the medium of haute couture.” After 23 years of marriage to Yvette Cooper, the Strictly sensation Ed Balls says he’s “more in love now than ever”. However, he admits that life as a political spouse – he lost his own seat in 2015 – isn’t all glamour. “One of my roles on a Sunday is to search Yvette’s work bag for pork pies,” he…

“Be the person your dog thinks you are.” Ricky Gervais, quoted in Reader’s Digest “The exercise of imagination is dangerous to those who profit from the way things are, because it has the power to show that the way things are is not permanent, not universal, not necessary.” Ursula K. Le Guin, quoted in The Observer “The one duty we owe to history is to rewrite it.” Oscar Wilde, ibid. “There is nosuch thing as inner peace. There is only nervousness or death.” Fran Lebowitz, quoted in The Times “Hesitation is a crucial element of creation. If people would rephrase writers’ block as hesitation, writers would feel better about it”. Ian McEwan, quoted in the Financial Times “That men do not learn very much from the lessons of history is…

Premier League Cristiano Ronaldo marked his return to Manchester United by scoring twice in their 4-1 victory over Newcastle. Liverpool beat Leeds 3-0, Manchester City beat Leicester 1-0. Cricket The 5th Test between England and India was called off after a Covid-19 outbreak in India’s camp. As a result, India won the series 2-1. Formula 1 Lewis Hamilton said that his halo cockpit protection device had “saved his life” after Max Verstappen crashed into his car and rode up over his cockpit in this week’s Italian Grand Prix.…

Amnesia is among the most intriguing of plot devices. What are the secrets of the sufferer’s past life? When will their memory return? Here are five of the best films with plots hinging on memory loss: Memento Christopher Nolan’s ingenious thriller stars Guy Pearce as an insurance investigator left without a short-term memory after being shot in the head. Using Polaroid photos and tattoos to keep tabs on his progress, he goes in search of the men who attacked him and killed his wife. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind A company that erases painful memories is at the heart of this unusual romcom. When Joel (Jim Carrey) finds that his ex-girlfriend (Kate Winslet) has wiped him from her mind, he reciprocates – but ending their relationship isn’t that straightforward. Desperately Seeking…

Top Gear Polestar is Volvo’s stand-alone electric offshoot. The Polestar 1 was a limited-edition “headline-grabber”, but this new release is a fully-fledged production car which Volvo hopes will establish it as a big player in the important EV scene. And with its competitive price, impressive finish and smooth ride, the Polestar 2 might do just that. “Tesla ought to be paying attention.” The Daily Telegraph It is certainly a smarter buy than a Tesla Model 3, especially if you prefer to charge your car at home. The 64kWh standard-range, single-motor Polestar 2 can officially cover up to 273 miles on a single charge – giving it a range almost identical to the pricier Model 3 Standard Range. Plus, the driving experience is just as smooth, and is complemented by some…

Smallford Farm Shop is located between St Albans and Hatfield. Alongside the farm’s produce, the shop stocks local artisan products including Cannatella & Colletti gourmet sauces (smallfordfarmshop.com). With views of Cardiff, Thornhill Farm Shop sells lamb reared on the farm as well as fresh bread, preserves and a range of fairtrade products (thornhillfarm.co.uk). Winner of best shop in the BBC Food and Farming Awards in 2019, Squash in Liverpool sells food grown in the Community Food Garden and other local growing spaces (squashliverpool.co.uk). Colemans Farm Shop is part of a garden centre 12 miles northwest of Belfast, and has a range of local artisan products from Dart Mountain cheese to Lagan Ribs sauce (colemansgardencentre.co.uk). Based just outside Bristol, Flourish at Glenavon Farm sells produce from small local farms and businesses,…

Klarna/Revolut/Monzo: the new never-never What’s the rocket fuel powering the online shopping explosion? In one acronym, BNPL – or “buy now, pay later”, said Oscar Williams-Grut in the London Evening Standard. An alternative to credit cards that allows shoppers to spread the cost of purchases over several instalments without interest charges, BNPL has emerged as “one of the hottest corners of global finance in recent months”. The biggest players are fintech companies like PayPal and the industry’s pioneer, Sweden’s Klarna, which was recently valued at $45bn–a measure of the riches thought to be on offer. Now banks are getting in on the action. Barclays has announced plans fora product, but may be beaten to the punch by digital banks Revolut and Monzo. The BNPL craze has been particularly embraced by…

The message from fizzing bond markets Katie Martin Financial Times September is always a “bumper” month for bond issues, says Katie Martin, but this year companies and governments are scooping money from investors at “a startling pace”. Why not? Borrowers, after all, “have never had it so good”. Even “junk” debt now trades with a yield well below the 3% annual inflation rate in the eurozone, indicating that investors “are perfectly happy to take a real-terms loss” on lending to the riskiest issuers – a “measure of the lengths they are prepared to go to in search of some returns”. Credit fund managers “generally know what they’re doing”. But pessimists argue that such “outsized risks” could “bite hard” in any fresh downturn. Another not-so-rosy possibility is that companies are rushing…

What happened Britain hailed anew sporting superstar last week, when Emma Raducanu became the first British woman to win a Grand Slam singles title in 44 years (see page 26). In a thrilling match, the 18-year-old defeated fellow teenager Leylah Fernandez of Canada in straight sets at the US Open in New York. After winning the final point, she threw herself to the ground, then rose to embrace her opponent. Starting the tournament as a 400-1 outsider, she is the first qualifier, in either the men’s or women’s game, to win a major tennis title. Some 9.2 million viewers watched the match on Channel 4, and within a day of her victory Raducanu had gained an additional 500,000 Instagram followers. She made a string of appearances on US breakfast shows,…

M&S may be scaling back on selling suits, but Savile Row tailors are reporting a boom in orders from returning office workers – with quite a few of them asking for alterations, to take account of waistlines that grew or shrunk in lockdown. Cad & The Dandy told the Daily Mail that it had had a 30% increase in orders last week. “Everyone is in the mindset of getting new suits made,” said co-founder James Sleater. “Very few people have stayed the same size.” The number of long-term rental properties on the market in coastal areas has fallen sharply, as landlords cash in on the staycation boom. On the Isle of Wight, the number of properties available is down 82% on the summer of 2019, according to Rightmove.…

“Jeff Bezos is reported to have steered a significant chunk of his $200bn fortune into a Silicon Valley start-up that is researching gene reprogramming and the possibility of living forever. Jesus Christ, what is it with rich people? All of them, Bezos, Musk, Branson, first they have to stash away billions, then they have to buy an island, then they have to colonise space, and then they have to live forever. It’s like they are literally working their way through the ‘How To Be A Supervillain’ handbook. Bezos even has the special, shiny Lex Luthor/Dr Evil head. What next? Will he invent a death ray and train it on the White House? Raise a new continent in the Pacific made of pure kryptonite?” Giles Coren in The Times…

West Witton, Yorkshire TV blackout: A month after the Bilsdale transmitter – Britain’s tenth tallest structure – went up inflames, thousands of people in North Yorkshire and parts of County Durham are still receiving little or no TV signal. The destruction of the 1,032ft-tall mast, high up in the North Yorkshire moors, south of Middlesbrough, left almost one million people unable to watch TV or listen to digital radio, and also disrupted mobile phone signals. The erection of temporary transmitters has since restored services to the majority of households, but telecoms company Arqiva has admitted that the rest are likely to experience disruption until it can build a new mast – which might not be before next year. Despite the rise of streaming, Ofcom reports that Britons still watched an…

Solar power: a plan that’s 40 years too late Bill McKibben The New Yorker Will the US be able to generate 45% of its electricity through solar panels by 2050? That’s the ambitious target set out by the Biden administration last week, says Bill McKibben. Getting there from the current level of 4% will take some doing. It will require a lot of investment, and it is sure to run into opposition from corporate interests and homeowners who object to the sight of solar farms. Time is short: 2050 isn’t that far away. It’s a shame, you might think, that the US didn’t start on this mission 40 years ago. But here’s the thing: it did. In 1979, faced with the second Opec oil shock, President Carter announced a similar…

The time limit on storing frozen embryos and sperm is to be raised to 55 years, to give people more choice about when to start a family, the Government announced last week. Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the current limit, of ten years, was “severely restrictive”, put undue pressure on families, and did not take account of the trend towards later parenthood. The Department of Health said there would be different rules in cases involving third-party donors, and in cases when the donor has died. Currently, when the ten years are up most prospective parents must decide whether to use the cells or embryos to try to have a baby, or let them be destroyed. In future, they will be asked every ten years whether they want them to be…

More than 14,000 migrants have arrived in Britain illegally this year by crossing the Channel in small boats, said The Daily Telegraph. Many Britons are furious that people-smugglers are still making “a mockery of UK borders”. The Home Secretary, Priti Patel, is “frustrated” too: she is threatening to “pull the plug” on a failing £54m deal with France to prevent migrants leaving its coast. She has also secured new advice from the Attorney General authorising Border Force to “push back” migrant boats into French waters: officials have been filmed using jet skis to turn around dinghies during practice drills off the Kent coast. This policy has caused an outcry, but I know that it can work, said Alexander Downer, Australia’s former minister for foreign affairs, in the Daily Mail. Australia…

Just before the first of the three matches she needed to win just to play in this year’s US Open, Emma Raducanu realised she had lost her AirPods. Having scoured the changing room, she gave them up as lost – but consoled herself that should she win the match, she’d be able to afford another pair. The fact she’d booked her return ticket to the UK to coincide with the end of the qualifying tournament shows she wasn’t confident of doing so. But she can buy more than a pair of headphones now, said Sean Ingle in The Guardian. By beating 19-year-old Leylah Fernandez in Saturday’s final, Raducanu netted herself $2.5m (£1.8m). The 18-year-old’s string of victories at Flushing Meadows was so sensational it makes one wonder if there is…

Paying for social care To The Guardian Boris Johnson’s foray into the social care quagmire (“Johnson stakes reputation on £12bn fix for health and social care”) is surely an opportunity for the Labour Party to enunciate both broad, progressive principles and some of the specifics proposed in Andy Burnham’s 2010 white paper. Rather than score points about breaking election promises, Labour should welcome and reinforce the message that a national care service will cost money. The only question is how this is to be raised as equitably and progressively as possible. Burnham’s proposal to impose a 10% estate levy was panned as a “death tax” at the time, but would surely fare better amid the current furore about unpalatable alternatives that set young against old and North against South, etc.…

The Macklowe Collection: up for sale A famous art collection that has attained “almost mythical status” is coming up for auction, as a result of the divorce of its billionaire owners, says Mark Brown in The Guardian. The collection, owned by Harry Macklowe and his former wife Linda – a “spectacularly rich New York couple” who five years ago filed for divorce, after nearly six decades of marriage – includes works by Picasso, Warhol and Rothko. Their separation has reportedly been acrimonious, and negotiations over the division of assets complex. A judge ultimately ordered that 65 valuable works be sold and the proceeds split evenly. When they come up for sale at Sotheby’s in November, potential buyers will need “deep pockets”: one Giacometti sculpture carries an estimate of $70m, while…

Amy is home and talks to Chris about Alice and Martha, and her experiences in hospital over the past year. Eddie has a plan to mark Joe’s 100th birthday by having the Grundys win Best in Show at the Flower and Produce Show. Brian and Jennifer talk about family matters ahead of Alice returning from rehab. Ben and Beth have a picnic on Lakey Hill. Susan asks Shula about all the time Neil has been spending at the Stables – Shula answers awkwardly and Susan leaves, upset. After another row, Susan and Neil have it out. He’s aghast that she thinks he’s in love with Shula – he only loves her. He later apologises to Shula for any upset, as does Susan – they’ll always be friends. Ben and Beth…

A Breton pastry goes global For a century and a half, it was little known-outside Brittany, says Alice Kantor in the FT. But now the kouign amann–a buttery, spiral-shaped pastry which has been referred to as the “fattiest pastry in all of Europe” – has become “a bit of an international phenomenon”. Pronounced “kween ah-Mon” (and meaning “butter cake” in Breton), the kouign amann has, in recent years, popped up in “various guises around the world”. At Yeast Bakery in east London, they sell a version with caramelised pineapple on top. But classic kouign amanns are made of just three ingredients: the ratio is 40% flour, 30% butter and 30% sugar. It may seem odd that such a calorific product is on the rise at a time when people are…

Chimnea-style Flame Effect Heater This rustic-looking heater (designed to resemble a chiminea) has a flame effect, for extra cosiness. Lightweight but with a maximum output of 1800W, it will quickly heat up a small to medium-sized room (£75; dunelm.com). Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool Purifying Fan Heater At the top of the range, this Dyson heats very well (and cools too) while removing impurities from the air. The temperature can be controlled on an app and it’s very energy efficient (£550; dyson.co.uk). Dimplex MaxAir MAXAIR25B Ceramic Fan Heater With 2500W of power, this is “the supercar of the heating world”. It provides brilliant heating coverage, has a useful timer and can be controlled from afar with a remote (£229; ao.com). Russell Hobbs Retro 1.8kW Fan Heater Great for small spaces, Russell Hobbs’s well-retro heater…

When Jean-Paul Belmondo was at a Paris conservatoire in the 1950s, his tutors warned him that he could never hope to be a leading man, said The Times. Audiences would simply laugh if they saw him, with his “ruffian’s face”, locked in an embrace with a beautiful woman. A few years later, however, Jean-Luc Godard perceived that Belmondo, with his rugged features, smashed up nose and lean, muscular physique, could be France’s James Dean, “with a touch of Marlon Brando and Humphrey Bogart thrown in”. Godard was working as a film critic at that time, for the influential magazine Cahiers du Cinèma, and had only made a couple of shorts; Belmondo – though still relatively unknown – was reluctant at first to work with him. But the first feature film…

UK inflation, measured on the Consumer Prices Index, jumped to 3.2% in the year to August – up from 2% the previous month – marking the biggest monthly jump since 1997. The ONS cited higher prices for food, petrol and used cars as the main contributory factors, but described the rise as “temporary”. Inflation has been falling in the US: the August numbers were the lowest since January. The number of workers on UK company payrolls climbed above its pre-pandemic level. Economists at the EY Item Club warned that Britons face a “triple whammy” of tax increases, benefit cuts and rising prices that could see households lose £900 a year in 2022, affecting the poorest worst. Gas and electricity prices rocketed to new record highs amid fears of a global…

● Back to the future The idea of government trying to “back winners” fell out of favour in the Thatcher era, said John Harrington on ProactiveInvestors.co.uk. But, along with Keynesian economics, it’s back with a vengeance. This week, the Treasury revealed some of the fruits of the Future Fund scheme – which provided £1.1bn of convertible loans to 1,190 start-ups to help them through the pandemic – listing 158 companies “that have had their loans converted into equity stakes”. The hope is that these fledgling companies will grow into sound investments, enabling the taxpayer to make a return “later down the line”. If nothing else, it makes a change from the “usual” practice of “bailing out systemically important loss-making companies that have spectacularly failed”. ● Eclectica The list is certainly…

Howard Lutnick When two planes crashed into the World Trade Centre 20 years ago, Howard Lutnick – boss of the bond-trading powerhouse Cantor Fitzgerald, which occupied five floors in the North Tower – wasn’t at his desk, said The Times. “It was his son’s first day at kinder-garten.” 658 Cantor workers were killed – fusing “a corporate crisis with acute personal tragedy”. Cantor encouraged the recruitment of friends and family. Among the dead were Lutnick’s brother, Gary, and best friend, Doug. The firm decided that the best way to support the victims’ families was to rebuild the business. Their relief fund has since distributed $357m. Without that incentive, Lutnick wouldn’t have returned to work. “People ask, ‘Did you have survivors’ guilt?’ Holy moly, did I have survivors’ guilt.” He cried…

The week’s best shares Accenture The Daily Telegraph The US-listed tech development consultant advises clients on cloud computing, AI and big data. Strongly cash generative, profitable and growing thanks to investing in, and incentivising, employees. Buy. $341.49. Bakkavör Group The Times The supermarket food supplier’s revenues have inched ahead of 2019 levels, as it mitigates rising costs by automating parts of its manufacturing processes. Inflation is a concern, but the potential yield is 5.4%. Buy. 120.25p. Dunelm Group The Mail on Sunday Thanks to a strong e-commerce strategy launched before lockdown, the furnishings retailer is capitalising on the home improvements trend. Profits are up 44% and there’s growth potential in the furniture business. Buy. £15.50. Luceco Investors Chronicle The LED lighting specialist has seen growing demand from the residential market.…

A Hungarian biochemist who laboured for years in obscurity has won the $1.5m Breakthrough Prize in life sciences. During her long career in the US, Katalin Kariko, 66, never earned more than about £43,000 a year, and no one paid much attention to her work. But when the pandemic struck, her decades of research into the potential of the genetic material mRNA became pivotal to the development of the Pfizer jab. She has said she will use the money to fund more research. A 62-year-old who loved hiking, until he was afflicted by multiple sclerosis, was able to enjoy the view from the summit of Belstone Tor on Dartmoor last week, thanks to the help of a local search and rescue team. Gilbert Taylor moved with his wife Jane to…

One in ten women feel unsafe walking alone in parks and open spaces during the day, rising to 81% at night. Among men, 3.3% feel unsafe alone in parks during the day, and 38.8% at night. During the day, 7.1% of women feel unsafe walking alone on a quiet street close to home; 49.7% feel unsafe at night; among men, the figures are 2.6% and 14.6% respectively. Office for National Statistics/The Independent The vast majority of working parents (96%) think the Government is not doing enough to support parents with the cost and availability of childcare; 97% think childcare in the UK is too expensive. A third say they spend more on childcare than on their rent or mortgage. The Guardian…

The lawyer who values lives Kenneth Feinberg is an American lawyer with a grim specialism, says Guy Kelly in The Daily Telegraph: for decades, private companies and politicians have turned to him, to assess the appropriate level of compensation to pay for the victims of major disasters. His cases have ranged from the Sandy Hook massacre to the Deepwater Horizon explosion. But he is best known for overseeing the victim compensation fund established by Congress after the 9/11 attacks – a job he insisted on doing pro bono. Feinberg uses maths to value lives, and a formula–based on projected earnings, dependents, and so on – was established early on. Most families accepted it, but he also invited all of them (and everyone injured in the attacks) to meet him, so…

The cut that makes mockery of levelling up John Harris The Guardian The NHS is under growing strain; the furlough scheme is drawing to an end. If you’re anxious about the future, spare a thought for the almost six million people on universal credit (UC), says John Harris. On 6 October, they’re due to lose the £20 weekly “uplift” introduced 18 months ago. The cut will hit them really hard. For single-parent families in particular (60% of whom rely on UC), that extra £86.67 a month has been the lifeline needed to pay for food, school uniforms and heating. And 40% of UC claimants are actually in work, so their pay packets will also be hit by the new health and social care levy. Yet being in low-paid jobs with…

The world’s trees in danger A third of the world’s 58,497 tree species are facing extinction, a new report has warned. The five-year study, compiled by 500 experts from 60 institutions, found that 142 species were already extinct, and that 442 were on the brink of extinction, meaning that fewer than 50 examples remained in the wild. These ranged from the Menai whitebeam, which grows in North Wales, to Mulanje cedar in Malawi. The biggest threats were listed as forest clearance for crops (which is affecting 29% of species), logging (27%), livestock grazing (14%) development (13%) and fire (13%). Madagascar and Brazil were the countries with the highest number of at-risk trees. Elsewhere, the report notes that oak trees are being lost to farming and development in parts of Mexico,…

People often ask, “Where were you on 9/11?” And most of us know the answer to that question, said Andrew Buncombe in The Independent: we will probably never forget where we were on that September day, 20 years ago, when four hijacked planes were used to attack Washington and New York, killing 2,977 people. Most of our memories focus on the twin towers of the World Trade Centre: the cloud of smoke set against a strikingly blue sky; the fireball that erupted when the second plane struck; the falling bodies; and the screams, as the South Tower collapsed. Were member the firefighters, who rushed to help, and the dust-caked office workers, who looked on in horror and bewilderment. At dawn the next day, The Independent’s David Usborne walked to what…

Asked last week about the crisis engulfing their sector, a social care official interviewed by this newspaper gave a “hollow laugh”, said James Tapper in The Observer. “Crisis? Which one?” There are indeed plenty to choose from. Staff shortages, for a start: the sector employs 1.5 million people in England, but there are currently about 112,000 unfilled posts. With demand rising in line with the ageing population, many disabled and elderly people are going without essential help. Around 11,000 individuals have been waiting for more than six months for local authorities to assess their needs. The service isn’t working, agreed Brian Fisher in The Independent: 26% fewer people are being supported than in 2010; staff wages and training are at “rock bottom”; and too many private firms provide poor care…

They’ve reached the final time and time again, but try as they might, the Mayo county football team just can’t win the biggest title in Gaelic football, said David Connett in The Observer. In last Saturday’s All-Ireland football championship final – an annual fixture pitting the best teams from the Republic and Northern Ireland against each other – the west Irish side narrowly lost to Tyrone. No one had expected Tyrone to win: it was the first time they’d beaten Mayo in 13 years. But then, when it comes to this trophy, a lot of people think Mayo is cursed: since lifting it in 1951, they’ve lost every one of the 11 All-Ireland finals they’ve competed in. The story goes that this is more than simple his medal bad luck, said…

To The Times I read with dismay that KPMG is proposing a target of 29% of its partners and directors by 2030 to be “working class”: defined as coming from a family in which the parents have “routine and manual” jobs, such as plumbers, electricians, butchers and van drivers. Putting aside that the last thing the world needs is more accountants, this patronising characterisation of people who have learnt a trade is depressing. There is nothing “routine” about skilled craft work. Our fixation with “working in an office” means that we cannot get enough young people into trade apprenticeships, and have become completely dependent on importing such skilled workers. Peter Samain, Chedgrave, Norfolk To The Times KPMG’s notion of working class is wonderfully Jane Austen: the hard-working butcher, plumber and…

Iron Maiden: Senjutsu Parlophone £13.99 Iron Maiden have been bringing head-banging joy to metal fans since 1975, but it turns out their “true golden age is their current one”, said Harry Sword in The Guardian. In recent years, the British group have undergone a “remarkable creative renaissance” – with a move towards prog rock arrangements (bassist and chief songwriter Steve Harris is a Jethro Tull fan) and more ambitious “melodic dynamism”. This 80-minute double album (their first release since 2015) is a further impressive step in this direction. It offers “eccentric, bombastic heavy metal at its finest”, with a “melancholic vibe”, “stunning songwriting” and complex melodies. The collection finds just “the right blend of seriousness and escapism”, said Ludovic Hunter-Tilney in the FT. It’s “full of intent but not over-solemn,…

Rarely have I seen a documentary as distressing as Channel 4’s account of the Grenfell Tower fire, said Anita Singh in The Daily Telegraph. Two years before this avoidable tragedy, artist Constantine Gras was invited by the building’s landlord to make a PR film about its refurbishment – but he didn’t stick to his brief. Instead, he followed the tenants as they banded together to voice their concern about the quality of the work. He could not have known how important his footage would become. Its contribution to this film is “unbearably” poignant, said Carol Midgley in The Times. To see the residents, some of whom were among the 72 people who were killed in the fire, inveighing against the shoddy refurbishment – and the disdain with which they are…

Paris Was Yesterday by Janet Flanner, 1934 (Virago £10.99). Flanner began writing her “Letter from Paris” for The New Yorker in 1925, and this anthology takes the reader up to the outbreak of the War in 1939. I first read Flanner while researching my biography of Coco Chanel, and when I was writing Miss Dior, I immersed myself yet again in these evocative vignettes of Paris, the city of light in its golden years between two World Wars. Dior by Dior by Christian Dior, 1956 (V&A £8.99). Christian Dior wrote his masterly memoir the year before his death from a heart attack at the age of 52, when he was still at the height of his fame. This English translation by Antonia Fraser appeared in 1957, and it captures his…

Programmes When Nirvana Came to Britain Thirty years after the release of Nirvana’s landmark album Nevermind, this film looks at how the band’s reception in Britain paved the way for its global success. Sat 18 Sept, BBC2 21:30 (60mins). RHS Chelsea Flower Show Avisit to the Royal Hospital Chelsea for the rescheduled horticultural extravaganza, taking place in autumn for the first time. Sun 19 Sep, BBC1 18:00 (60mins), and throughout the week. When the Dust Settles First episode of an absorbing Danish drama about disparate characters brought together by a cataclysmic event. Sun 19 Sept, C4 23:00 (75mins); all episodes available to stream on All4. Manhunt: The Night Stalker Martin Clunes reprises his role as Met detective Colin Sutton in this four-part drama based on a real-life case. Mon 20, Tue 21, Wed…

Serves 4-6 For the topping: 150g plain flour 90g dark brown soft sugar a pinch of salt 100g butter, cubed and chilled for the filling: 50g butter 150g dark brown soft sugar 100ml double cream ¼ tsp vanilla extract 2 large cooking apples, peeled, cored and sliced a large pinch of flaky salt to serve: custard ice cream • Preheat the oven to 190°C. • Make the topping. Mix the flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Then, a few cubes at a time, add the butter, using your thumbs and fingertips to rub it in until it looks like lovely, chunky breadcrumbs (you don’t want it too fine – some lumps are good for extra crunch once it’s cooked). Set aside. • Make the filling. Place the butter in a medium saucepan…

● Fig trees are available from most garden centres, or online. They’re usually about 60cm. Opt for “St John’s”, “White Ischia” or “Bourjasotte Grise”. These are the most reliable varieties for growing in pots. ● The pot should be of a generous size, and it needs to be in as hot and sunny and sheltered a spot as you can find. Ideally, place it close to a south-facing wall that will protect it from the elements. ● If possible, move the pot into an unheated greenhouse, shed or porch when the weather starts to cool in the early autumn. (You might want to keep the pot on casters for ease of movement.) ● Figs like to have their roots restricted, if they are to perform well. However, they do like…

Michael K. Williams, who has died aged 54, had one of the most memorable roles in one of the greatest TV shows ever made, said The New York Times. In all five seasons of the Baltimore-set crime drama The Wire, he appeared as the terrifying, shotgun-wielding stick-up artist Omar Little; and he brilliantly conveyed that character’s menacing charisma, as well as his peculiar tenderness. Omar was so calmly fearsome, in his long black leather coat, as to be almost an urban legend on the city’s mean streets. “Omar coming,” teenage dealers would cry, as they scurried from their corners. Yet within his own seedy and violent milieu, Omar was a man apart: moral (he only robbed drug dealers); courtly (with his baroque speech patterns, and avoidance of swear words); and…

“The pandemic has transformed the airline industry in unexpected ways,” said Nils Pratley in The Guardian. The Hungarian budget carrier Wizz Air (now valued at £5bn) is bigger in stock-market terms than easyJet, whose £3.25bn value now stands at roughly half its former level. Hence, perhaps, “Wizz’s cheeky takeover bid”, which, while swiftly batted away by easyJet, “will have come as a blow to the corporate ego”. All the more so since the airline’s dire finances have now forced it to go cap-in-hand to shareholders hoping to raise another £1.2bn via a rights issue. EasyJet has already raised £5.5bn of debt and equity since the pandemic started, and is currently burning through “£40m of cash a week”, said Lex in the FT. Prospects may look somewhat less “murky” if, as…

Do your research Tools such as Hub-Spot’s customer persona creator can help you build a profile of your potential clients. You could also use online tools like SurveyMonkey to ask people specific questions. The British Library’s Business and IP Centre is “an amazing free resource” where you can access reports on the latest industrial trends. Draw up a business plan It’s “the blueprint” for securing investment or a bank loan. The Virgin StartUp scheme offers a useful template, and mentors you can access for your first year. Look for funding Since the start of the pandemic, many local bodies have launched financial assistance for startups; ditto the British Business Bank. You could also try crowdfunding via Kickstarter and the like, or target angel investors. Networks like LinkedIn and GC Angels…

In a world where everyone shouts their opinion, it’s good to listen. That’s where TheWeek comes in – it’s a unique magazine that brings open-minded readers the best of all the world’s media, curated from over 200 news sources, into one balanced, concise and entertaining read. Join over 300,000 readers today and enjoy your first 6 issues (worth over £23) absolutely free. SCAN TO ORDER Try your first 6 issues forfree Visit subscription.theweek.co.uk or call 0330 333 9494 Terms & conditions: Your first 6 issues are free, then £51.87 £38.75 every 13 issues for a print only subscription, saving 25% on the shop price. Direct Debit payment. For overseas prices see our website. Calls charged at your standard network rate. Your subscription is protected by our Money-Back Guarantee. Cancel any…

THE WEEK CROSSWORD 1278 An Ettinger travel pass case 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 27 September. Email the answers as a scan of a completed grid or a list, with the subject line The Week crossword 1278, to crossword@theweek.co.uk. Tim Moorey (timmoorey.com) This week’s winner will receive an Ettinger (ettinger.co.uk) travel pass case (assorted colours), which retails at £105, and two Connell Guides (connellguides.com). ACROSS 1 It could get me in post improperly (8) 5 Close down when storm raging? (4,2) 9 Twisters giving rent trouble first to students (8) 10 Expedition is far out taking in eastern part of Africa (6) 12 Short series in America for addicts…