Innholdsfortegnelse for V. 1361 i The Week

What happened The Government’s handling of the Omicron variant was overshadowed this week by growing evidence that up to 50 staff attended a Downing Street party on 18 December last year. No. 10 has denied that such an event took place. But on Tuesday footage emerged of a mock No. 10 press conference four days after the alleged gathering, in which the PM’s then press secretary, Allegra Stratton, appeared to joke with colleagues about how they’d explain the party. Johnson apologised for the leaked video, but still maintained that there was no party and that no rules were broken. Officials confirmed this week that Omicron was spreading across England. Early signs suggest it is not only more transmissible than the Delta variant, but may also partially evade the Pfizer vaccine.…

How times change, said Ross Clark in The Spectator. For decades, the SNP traded on the idea that “Scotland’s oil” would make an independent Scotland rich. But now Nicola Sturgeon’s party, with its Green coalition partner, has turned its back on fossil fuels. Last month, Sturgeon stated that the proposed Cambo oilfield off the coast of Shetland, which holds an estimated 800 million barrels of oil, “should not get the green light”, on the grounds that it “could not and should not pass any rigorous climate assessment”. And last week Shell, which had a 30% share in the project, pulled out, claiming that “the economic case for investment” was no longer “strong enough”. It was an odd conclusion, when oil is at a hefty $70 per barrel. A more credible…

Trust in politicians is at a new low: two-thirds of voters now agree that MPs are “out for themselves”, up from 48% in 2014, during the Cameron era. Only 5% believe MPs are primarily motivated by the desire to do good. In England, trust in MPs tends to fall the further you travel away from Westminster, with Burnley in Lancashire reporting the lowest levels in the country. When voters were first asked if politicians were out for themselves, in 1944, only one in three agreed. The Independent/YouGov 25% of UK adults say they don’t feel the need to worry about their online safety, and 39% think they do enough to protect themselves. Just over half think they should be doing more to be safer online. The Independent/OnePoll…

Clooney’s awakening Three years ago, George Clooney was driving his motorbike at 75mph along a road in Sardinia when a car pulled out in front of him. Braking hard, he flew over the handlebars and crashed onto the tarmac. When he came to, screaming in agony, he realised that people were gathering around him – and filming him on their phones. It was, he told Jonathan Dean in The Sunday Times, a bit of an awakening. “If you’re in the public eye, what you realise when you’re on the ground thinking it’s the last minute of your life is that, for some people, it’s just going to be entertainment for their Facebook page. I’m a pretty positive guy, but that told me – clearly – that you really are here…

A giant revolving model of Father Christmas dancing in a tutu has infuriated Italy’s right-wing parties. The statue in Modena shows Santa pirouetting in a leotard, holding aloft a red heart. Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia party demanded the “unnatural” installation be removed; one critic said the “Santa Claus in tights” showed a “hatred for our traditions”. Lorenzo Lunati, its creator, said his Santa was just trying “to shrug off some of the weight we’ve been carrying recently”. Army bomb experts were called to an A&E after a man arrived with a WWII anti-tank shell lodged in his rectum. The patient had reported to the Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, explaining that he’d fallen on the 17cm by 6cm projectile after finding it while clearing out his belongings. “He said he put it…

TURKEY Erdogan fails to pass the basketball test Die Zeit (Hamburg) Turkey’s President Erdogan has survived plenty of crises in his 19 years in power, says Michael Thumann. But with his country’s economic problems mounting, it appears that his powers are on the wane. Most economists agree that interest rates must be hiked to curb rising inflation. Yet for some reason Erdogan thinks the opposite, and has persuaded his country’s central bank to slash rates from 19% to 15% in three months – with dire results. The lira is down 40% on the dollar since February and voters are feeling the pinch of the rising cost of living: “even tomatoes and onions are becoming luxury products”. Protests over the currency crisis are breaking out across the country, and Erdogan’s Justice…

Daniel Camilleri wasn’t able to attend his grandmother’s birthday in Malta, but he felt as if he was there, and he was able to give her a hug – thanks to software developed by his company, Cyberselves. Users of the Teleport system wear a VR headset in order to “inhabit” a robot elsewhere in the world. The robot then responds to their movements in real time, via the internet, and – provided it has the right sensors – it transmits back everything it sees, hears and feels. Camilleri used Teleport to have the sensation of hugging his granny – but it could have many other functions, reports The Times. It could be used in search and rescue operations, or by bomb-disposal experts. Doctors might use it to examine patients in…

The Duchess of Sussex’s court victory last week was a disaster for press freedom, said Ross Clark in The Daily Telegraph – and another step on the path towards “rule by judges”. Of course, Meghan was delighted with what she called a “precedent-setting” ruling in her civil action against The Mail on Sunday for publishing extracts of a letter she’d sent to her father, Thomas Markle, shortly after her wedding. The Court of Appeal upheld the High Court’s decision that publication breached her privacy – effectively enshrining a judge-made privacy law. The original judgment “was doubly offensive in that the matter was never allowed to go toa full trial”. The judges in both courts found that the issues in the case were so clear-cut that there was apparently no need…

Are you confused about what to do over the festive season? Wondering if it’s sensible to go to a party, or even to visit relatives? You are not alone, said the Daily Mirror. “The Government hasn’t a clue either.” Over four days last week, it issued a blizzard of contradictory messages. Dr Jenny Harries of the UK Health Security Agency kicked it off by saying that we shouldn’t socialise “when we don’t particularly need to”, prompting much scratching of heads about what kinds of social events we “need” to attend. The Work and Pensions Secretary Thérèse Coffey then rowed back, saying parties were fine, so long as there was not much “snogging under the mistletoe”. Health Secretary Sajid Javid was quick to stress, however, that snogging under the mistletoe (a…

So, farewell Johanna Konta, said Molly McElwee in The Daily Telegraph. The former British No. 1 has retired from tennis at the relatively young age of 30, citing a long-standing knee problem. Hers was a “slow-burn” career: she laboured for many years on the ITF tour, before breaking through to the game’s higher echelons in her mid-20s. British fans never truly warmed to her as they did to Tim Henman and Andy Murray. Yet her impact on British tennis should not be underestimated: Konta’s rise signalled the emergence of the women’s game from a long period of stagnation. In recent years, she has given British fans a “real contender to cheer for on the women’s tour”. Before Konta came along, the last British woman to reach a grand slam semi-final…

To The Times Clare Foges (“Don’t make martyrs of ignorant anti-vaxxers”) does not mention the main objection to vaccine passports: for them to be effective, the holder of the vaccine passport also needs to be able to produce photo-based proof of identity. I would be much happier with the introduction of such passports if the circumstances under which they would no longer be required were specified in advance. In reality, I suspect that they would simply legitimise the practice of producing “your papers”, and our common-law freedom, at least as a pedestrian, to wander around without let or hindrance would become a thing of the past. Jeremy White, Chapel-en-le-Frith, Derbyshire To The Times In her comment article Clare Foges suggests that vaccine passports should be shown to gain access to…

by Mona Arshi And Other Stories 176pp £11.99 The Week Bookshop £9.99 Mona Arshi’s prize-winning debut poetry collection, Small Hands (2015), was striking for its crisp phrasing and sensual descriptions of nature, said Cal Revely-Calder in The Daily Telegraph. The same virtues are present in her “prismatically gorgeous” first novel – narrated by a British Pakistani girl from London who becomes a selective mute. Rose stops speaking one day at primary school, and remains silent for years – resisting “many an adult’s request”. Unfolding in brief, vignette-like chapters, Somebody Loves You is a “fluent construction, and deconstruction, of words”. Through Rose, we come to understand that her renunciation of speech is an “attempt to opt out of a world incapable of engaging with what she has to say”, said Stephanie…

West Side Story 2hrs 36mins (12A) Ravishing remake of the classic 1961 musical ★★★★ “Typical Spielberg,” said Kevin Maher in The Times. “Only he could manage to remake arguably the greatest musical of all without falling flat on his face.” This is no radical reinvention, however: he has deftly shuffled a few numbers, added a character and dropped in a “dash of political subtext”, while approaching the spirit of the 1961 film “with unashamed reverence”. Ansel Elgort plays lovestruck Tony with a “hint of earnestness” that will be familiar to fans of the original; newcomer Rachel Zegler matches Natalie Wood for charisma, while outclassing her vocally (Wood was famously dubbed by Marni Nixon); the dance routines are based on the original choreography, but “expanded and elaborated”; the standout songs are…

The Great Passion by James Runcie, March 2022 (Bloomsbury £16.99). This new novel by the creator of Grantchester weaves an imaginative fictional web over the skeleton of known facts about J.S. Bach during the years he conceived the St Matthew Passion. I find fiction about musicians irritating and off-target, but this is the best example of the genre I’ve come across since Vikram Seth’s An Equal Music. Henry “Chips” Channon: The Diaries, Vol 2, 1938-43 edited by Simon Heffer, 2021 (Hutchinson £35). He was an appalling snob, racist, admirer of Hitler, serial philanderer and dimwit, hopeless in his political judgements and predictions, thankfully never entrusted with high ministerial office – but was also a compellingly readable diarist who lived through extraordinary times and knew everybody. If you plan to read…

Programmes Louis and Edwina: An Unconventional Marriage Documentary exploring the open marriage of Louis Mountbatten and his heiress wife Edwina Ashley. Sat 11 Dec, C5 21:25 (60mins). David Baddiel: Social Media, Anger and Us The self-confessed Twitter addict explores the impact of social media on our lives, both online and off. Mon 13 Dec, BBC2 21:00 (60mins). Christmas at Castle Howard Yet another behind-the-scenes-in-stately-homes series, this one looking at Christmas. In Yorkshire’s Castle Howard, a 30-foot frozen Christmas tree creates a challenge. Wed 15 Dec, C4 21:00 (60mins). Films The Ladykillers (1955) Evergreen Ealing comedy, in which a gang of robbers are undone by their leader’s elderly landlady. Sat 11 Dec, Film4 11:00 (110mins). Far from the Madding Crowd (2015) Carey Mulligan plays headstrong heroine Bathsheba Everdene in this beautifully shot version…

Hot and sour soup Serves 4 For the broth: 2 tbsp vegetable oil 2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into thin strips 6 small shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 2 tsp finely chopped root ginger 1 litre chicken stock 1 medium free-range egg, beaten 1 tsp toasted sesame oil, plus extra to serve 2 tsp soy sauce 1 tsp chilli oil 1-2 tbsp black vinegar or rice wine vinegar To garnish: 4 spring onions, thinly sliced 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped • Place a large saucepan over a medium heat and heat the vegetable oil. Add the chicken strips and cook until golden brown, about 4-5mins. Remove, cover and keep warm. • Add the mushrooms, garlic and ginger to the hot pan and cook, stirring, for 2-3mins. Pour…

● Squirrels hate the taste and smell of some bulbs, so mix in the ones they don’t like with ones they do. Snowdrops, daffodils, fritillaria, allium and hyacinths are some of the spring bulbs they won’t touch. ● If you have a pot filled with tulip, iris or crocus bulbs, which squirrels love, the solution is chicken wire with small holes (around 1 inch). Plant your bulbs as normal, then cut a piece of wire to fit snugly inside the top of the pot, just beneath the rim. Cover with soil, plus a hefty layer of gravel. ● If you’ve got a dog, try tucking dog hair under pots and distributing it around the garden to keep squirrels at bay. ● Get an owl-shaped sensor. Squirrels don’t mind humans but…

Harbour Beach Club, Salcombe, Devon This “low-key but contemporary” new resort hotel has “a knockout setting” right next to the ever-popular Salcombe beach in Devon, says Issy von Simson in Condé Nast Traveller. One of 15 Harbour Hotels spread across the south of England, and the second in Salcombe, it has a “relaxed Hamptons aesthetic” and a “barefoot vibe”. In its 50 bedrooms, there are nods to the “mid-century-modern” style, Pooky lights and “riffs on rattan”. Some of the rooms have balconies and sea views. There’s a spa with an indoor pool, and a restaurant with a seafood-heavy menu and a pleasant terrace. Doubles from £340, harbourhotels.co.uk.…

One of Britain’s finest actors, Sir Antony Sher, who has died aged 72, broke through with a performance that was “beyond outstanding”, said Michael Coveney in The Guardian. Playing Richard III at Stratford in 1984, he “gatecrashed this play’s performance history, and threw down an audacious gauntlet” to the greats who had taken that role before. In his opening soliloquy, the background music stopped on “the lascivious pleasing of a lute”, and with an obscene gesture, Sher whipped out two black medical crutches which he then used to hop, with an ape-like swing, to the front of the stage, “an unforgettable creepy arachnid”. In a lesser actor, that might have been that, but Sher, who was also an accomplished artist and writer, then “developed this spitefully animated cartoon into a…

Global stocks rallied by the most in over a year on Tuesday, with investor sentiment buoyed by early signs that the Omicron variant may prove less economically damaging than feared. The FTSE All World index, which rose 2.1%, put in its best daily performance since November 2020. The US S&P 500 and Nasdaq indices also enjoyed big gains. Oil prices rose on easing concerns over the outlook for demand: Brent crude briefly topped $75/barrel. Markets were further bolstered by signals from the Chinese authorities that they are preparing to stimulate the country’s slowing economy. But in Britain, the pound fell to its lowest level in more than a year against the dollar on the threat of fresh Covid restrictions. The price of bitcoin plunged 20% last weekend before settling below…

● The fading buzz “Previously Wall Street’s hottest investment product”, special purpose acquisition companies (Spacs) have “plunged in popularity”, with investors withdrawing cash at ever-increasing rates, said the FT. This week, it emerged that investors in the Spac taking BuzzFeed public “have pulled 94% of their money out” – signalling “scepticism over the media group’s prospects” and “underlining just how far Spacs have fallen from favour”. Many more are now either underwater, or subject to regulatory investigation. One such is Digital World Acquisition, the Spac set to merge with Donald Trump’s “non-woke” social media and entertainment start-up, Trump Media and Technology Group, which claims to have raised $1bn from “unidentified investors”. The probe could hinder the former president’s plan to raise further cash on the market. ● After the flood…

Marta Ortega Shares in Inditex, the Spanish fashion giant which owns Zara, fell 6% on news that the founder’s daughter has been made chair of the company, in a move designed “to resolve doubts about the succession”, said the FT. It was hardly a vote of confidence in Marta Ortega, 37, who has worked for the group for 15 years (majoring on Zara’s brand image) and professes to have “lived and breathed this company since my childhood”. But there’s a lot at stake. With a market valuation of s88bn, Inditex is “the world’s biggest clothing retailer” and Spain’s largest company. In a nod to “Anglo-Saxon” corporate governance, Ortega will act as non-executive chair. That hasn’t silenced the critics. “One of Amancio Ortega’s great successes is that he professionalised the company…

easyJet Investors’ Chronicle The airline reported its second annual loss of more than £1bn as hopes of a post-pandemic boom failed to materialise. Borrowings have hit an “eye-watering” £3.37bn, and new testing rules may spook holidaymakers. Sell. 491p. Greencore Group Investors’ Chronicle The sandwich to salad “food to go” maker is back in profit as post-lockdown demand increases. But acute labour shortages remain a problem, and the company’s profits look set to continue lagging fiscal year 2019. Sell. 127p. Liontrust Asset Management The Times Liontrust is rapidly attracting assets, thanks to its tilt towards sustainable funds aligned with ESG themes. Still, having doubled in market value, future earnings growth looks accounted for in the rich valuation. Hold. £23. Mitchells & Butlers Investors’ Chronicle The pub group has returned to profitability…

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What happened A national review, involving social services, schools and the police, will begin next week into the horrific death of six-year-old Arthur Labinjo-Hughes, a case that has shocked the country. Boris Johnson promised that the Government would leave “no stone unturned” to establish what had gone wrong. Arthur’s father and stepmother had subjected him to a months-long campaign of abuse last year – poisoning him with salt, denying him food and drink, and beating him repeatedly at their home in Solihull. He died from a head injury inflicted by his stepmother, Emma Tustin, in June 2020: his body showed signs of 130 injuries. Last week, Tustin was jailed for a minimum of 29 years and Arthur’s father, Thomas Hughes, was sentenced to 21 years. Judge Mark Wall, QC, said…

A former Foreign Office desk officer has testified that British efforts to evacuate people from Afghanistan following the fall of Kabul were chaotic and chronically understaffed. Raphael Marshall, who spent a week on the Afghan Special Cases team, told MPs that thousands of emails from desperate Afghans had gone unread – some of them from people who have since been murdered by the Taliban. He estimated that fewer than 5% of the 75,000 to 150,000 people who applied to be evacuated had received any assistance at all. Despite the urgency of the situation, he said that staff were not asked to work beyond their normal hours, and that at one point, he was the only person processing incoming emails. He also claimed that the Prime Minister had prioritised the evacuation…

Paris Surprise winner: France’s main centre-right party, Les Républicains, has selected as its candidate for president Valérie Pécresse, 54, a regional politician from Paris who describes herself as “two-thirds Merkel, one-third Thatcher”. The result was a surprise: neither of the favourites, Michel Barnier and Xavier Bertrand, made the final two. In the first round, Pécresse came a narrow second to Eric Ciotti, a far-right candidate seen as politically close to Marine Le Pen and Éric Zemmour (whose first campaign rally ended in a brawl on Sunday). She then won the run-off. The latest polls suggest she could defeat President Macron in the second round of April’s presidential election. Dublin Brexit payout: The Republic of Ireland is to become the first beneficiary of a European Commission fund designed to “mitigate the…

1 Wayfaring Stranger, traditional, performed by Rhiannon Giddens and Francesco Turrisi 2 Le Triomphe de l’Amour: Prélude pour la nuit by Jean-Baptiste Lully, performed by Capriccio Stravagante Les 24 Violons, directed by Skip Sempé 3 Michaelangelo, written and performed by The 23rd Turnoff 4 Ocean by Lou Reed, performed by The Velvet Underground 5* Variations on a theme of Corelli, Op. 42 by Sergei Rachmaninov, performed by Vladimir Ashkenazy 6 When We Were Wolves, written and performed by My Latest Novel 7 Point of View Point, written and performed by Cornelius 8 Time by Hans Zimmer, performed by Johnny Marr Book: The Karla Trilogy by John le Carré Luxury: luxury bedding * Choice if allowed only one record…

The Hubble Space Telescope, launched in April 1990, was the first major optical telescope to be placed in space, so it could observe the universe without the distortion of the Earth’s atmosphere, rain clouds and light pollution. Unlike the JWST, it was sent into near-Earth orbit. Unfortunately, the glass of its mirror had been ground incorrectly by less than the thickness of a hair, and its first images were faulty and fuzzy. In 1993, it had to be fixed by astronauts – the first of five such servicing missions. But since then it has made over 1.3 million observations, and its data have been used in more than 18,000 scientific papers, making it one of the most productive scientific instruments ever built. The Hubble has revolutionised astronomy: it has taught…

What we can learn from Europe Paul Krugman The New York Times “Americans have a hard time learning from foreign experience,” says Paul Krugman. Living in such a big country, with little need to learn other languages, makes us “oblivious to alternative ways of living” – which is a great shame. Take the issue of jobs. The US is today experiencing what some call “the Great Resignation”: there are now four million fewer Americans employed than before the pandemic, and firms are scrabbling for staff. Europe, by contrast, has fared better at getting people back to work: in France, in particular, employment and labour-force participation are both well above pre-pandemic levels. Why this difference? Part of the answer may be that Europe put more money into preserving jobs that workers…

People who get Covid a second time are 90% less likely to be hospitalised with it than first-time sufferers, a study has indicated. Researchers analysed the health outcomes of people in Qatar who had contracted Covid between February 2020 and April 2021. Of 6,095 people who had it for the first time, 193 had severe symptoms, including seven who died. Of 1,304 people who’d had Covid before, just four required hospital care, and none died or ended up in a critical condition. “Nearly all reinfections were mild, perhaps because of immune memory that prevented deterioration of the infection to more severe outcomes,” says lead author Dr Laith Jamal Abu-Raddad. Half of those with a reinfection had first had Covid at least nine months earlier. However, the researchers noted that the…

“Few would disagree that Britain has a drugs problem,” said The Daily Telegraph. There are now more than 300,000 problem drug users in England – and according to the Government, they are responsible for around half of all thefts, robberies and burglaries; almost half of homicides are linked to drugs. Deaths due to illicit drugs exceeded 4,500 last year in England and Wales, and the societal cost is estimated at nearly £20bn a year. So it’s good that the Government is determined to do something about it. Its “ten-year drugs plan” was published this week, promising an extra £780m for treatment and recovery, and a crackdown on both “county lines” drug supply operations and recreational users. The latter will face “escalating sanctions” such as curfews or the temporary removal of…

“When one burns one’s bridges, what a very nice fire it makes.”Dylan Thomas, quoted on The Browser “Legend remains victorious in spite of history.”Sarah Bernhardt, ibid. “People say that money is not the key to happiness, but I always figured if you have enough money, you can have a key made.”Joan Rivers, quoted in Reader’s Digest “There is something of the artist in every drunkard.”Patricia Highsmith, quoted in the London Evening Standard “It’s a very sobering feeling to be up in space and realise that one’s safety factor was determined by the lowest bidder on a government contract.”Astronaut Alan Shepard, quoted on UPI.com “I never yet saw an instance of one of two disputants convincing the other by argument.”Thomas Jefferson, quoted in Time “Without education we are in a horrible…

Football Manchester City lead in the Premier League after beating Watford 3-1. Chelsea, the previous leaders, lost 3-2 to West Ham. Aston Villa beat Leicester 2-1. Tennis The Russian Tennis Federation won the Davis Cup, beating Croatia in the final. Andrey Rublev beat Borna Gojo 6-4, 7-6, and Daniil Medvedev beat Marin Cilic 7-6, 6-2. Cricket Darren Gough has been confirmed as Yorkshire’s new managing director of cricket. His arrival follows a mass cull of staff in the wake of the county’s racism row.…

For years, wine glasses have been growing more balloon-like, said Louise Eccles in The Times – but now they’re shrinking again. According to John Lewis, customers are seeking out small glasses and goblets, in a bid to reduce alcohol intake (or perhaps just for easier loading of the dishwasher). Pubs are also downsizing: many now offer 125ml as their standard serving rather than the typical 175ml (and some have removed 250ml servings altogether). It’s a trend that should bring health benefits: a Cambridge University study found that in restaurants, people tend to drink more when they are served wine in larger glasses. Of course, many of us could probably benefit from drinking less, but I hope we’re not heading back to the 1980s, when minuscule “Paris goblets” were considered the…

● Southampton’s traditional German Christmas market has Alpine chalets selling handmade gifts and decorations. There are German bratwurst and waffles on offer, and there is live music. Until 23 December, visitsouthampton.co.uk. ● Festival de Noël Braemar, Scotland. Braemar in Deeside hosts a range of local food producers. Revellers can enjoy mulled wine and a hog roast before a concert on 11 December, and there is a farmers’ market the next day; stmargaretsbraemar.org.uk. ● Against the backdrop of the Victorian town hall, 60 wooden cabins sell gifts and seasonal food at the Chester Christmas Market. There are award-winning pies available and street-food outlets. Until 22 December; visitcheshire.com. ● Blenheim Palace’s Great Court has been transformed into a seasonal market selling a range of festive treats made by artisan producers, including locally sourced beer…

An island retreat in Zanzibar Set on an otherwise uninhabited, kilometre-long “sliver” of an island in Tanzania’s Zanzibar archipelago, Chumbe Island Coral Park is a “relatively inexpensive” tropical lodge that offers “a positive model for marine rewilding in Africa”, says Sophy Roberts in the FT. The reefs here, though somewhat bleached by warmer seas, have recovered from overfishing during their 27 years as a privately run Marine Protected Area, and they make for some of the region’s best snorkelling. The island has a “dazzling” beach, and an interior dominated by “coral rug jungle”, an unusual ecosystem that survives on waterless ground. The lodge itself has seven simple beachfront guest cottages, an “ecologically sensitive” ethos, “delicious” food – including excellent curries and “farm-fresh” salads – and friendly (if sometimes slow) service.…

Bob Dole, who has died aged 98, overcame childhood poverty in the Dust Bowl and grievous wartime injuries to become a giant of Republican politics: he sat in the senate for 25 years, served as Republican senate leader for ten years, and ran for US president in 1996 – losing to Bill Clinton. With a sardonic sense of humour and a tough-guy image, he could be ruthless, but he was known for working across party lines to forge compromises, said The Washington Post. He fought several battles on behalf of the underdog, and though he opposed the big state, he “carried with him a hard-learnt appreciation of what government can do”: government doctors had saved his life; the GI Bill had sent him to college. So while he fought Clinton’s…

The US pharmacy giant Walgreens is pondering a sale of Boots, potentially undoing the “blockbuster transatlantic merger” engineered by the Italian billionaire Stefano Pessina in 2014, said Aaron Kirchfeld on Bloomberg. Goldman Sachs has reportedly been hired to advise on “a review of options” for the British health and beauty retail chain – including a sale or a separate listing – enabling Walgreens “to focus on its North American business”. At 80, Pessina (nicknamed the “silver fox” for his hair and dealmaking nous) remains the group’s chairman and biggest shareholder, but this year he handed the reins of the alliance to CEO Roz Brewer. The “spry” Italian once dreamt of dominating “wholesale and retail pharmacy in Europe, the US and even China”, said Alex Brummer in the Daily Mail. Boots,…

The Future of Money by Eswar S. Prasad (Belknap Press £28.95). “An invaluable overview” of how digital technologies are transforming currencies and finance, says Martin Wolf in the FT. As Prasad summarises: “A glorious future beckons, perhaps.” 12 Bytes by Jeanette Winterson (Jonathan Cape £16.99). The novelist’s “anarchically playful” essays cover the history of computing, AI and the cloud, says The Daily Telegraph. She imagines a future in which “sexbots are hacked by feminist programmers”. Pugnare by George Maher (Kilnamanagh £12.99). The rise and fall of the Roman Empire – from a financial perspective. When inflation kicked in, stability collapsed, says Merryn Somerset Webb in the FT. “The banking system appears to have completely failed in AD260. And that was that.” The Aristocracy of Talent by Adrian Wooldridge (Allen Lane…

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An 86-year-old woman has been reunited with the wedding ring she lost in the 1960s, while gathering potatoes on the Hebridean island of Benbecula. When fellow islander Donald MacPhee learned about Peggy MacSween’s ring, he resolved to use his metal detector to find it – but it was no easy task. The land is now a popular drinking spot, littered with ring pulls, and he dug 90 holes before finding the gold ring. MacPhee said she could hardly believe it when he turned up at her door with it. A four-year-old boy who had his lower leg amputated when he was 15 months old has become one of the youngest people to scale Mount Snowdon. Albie-Junior Thomas – who was born with fibula hemimelia, a rare condition that left his…

Churches may be losing their congregations, but a London-based app designed to help people worship through their smartphones has 1.8 million users, and has been valued at $250m. Glorify, which was launched almost two years ago, offers daily bitesize Bible readings, inspirational quotes and audio prayers. Its investors include Kris Jenner, and it has been endorsed by the Archbishop of Canterbury. The University of Aberdeen has issued a trigger warning to readers of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Kidnapped, cautioning that it involves a kidnap. There are, the warning says, “depictions of murder, death, family betrayal and kidnapping”. Students have also been warned that Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar has a plot that “centres on a murder”.…

Oxford, Michigan School shooting: The parents of a Michigan teenager accused of shooting dead four pupils at his school have been charged with involuntary manslaughter and could face up to 15 years in jail. Four teenagers, two boys and two girls, were shot dead at Oxford High School last week, and a further seven were wounded. The killer is thought to be Ethan Crumbley, 15, a pupil at the school, who was arrested at the scene. James and Jennifer Crumbley had been called in for an urgent meeting after their son had been seen at school searching online for bullets, and making drawings that apparently reflected homicidal fantasies. But they failed to tell the school they’d recently bought their son a gun. “While the shooter was the one who entered…

“We still have this post-Romantic notion that the exciting people are the people of excess – those who burn the candle at both ends. We who on health grounds decline a second drink or second helping are branded as ‘boring’. Nobody becomes a legend by going to bed early, jogging at dawn and sipping herbal tea. And yes, the joys of the gym and talk of fungi-kale smoothies are deadly dull – but try having a conversation with someone who has drunk too much. Consider the relentless repetition! The incomprehensible babble! The killer rays of boozy breath! If there’s one thing worse than a health bore, it’s an unhealthy bore.” Cosmo Landesman in The Spectator…

Mercedes looks to be heading for a crash Dominic Lawson Daily Mail Big firms are often accused of “greenwashing”, says Dominic Lawson. And there can be few more egregious examples of the practice than the one Mercedes Formula 1 has just indulged in. It “managed to crash its entire UK brand” last week by signing a sponsorship deal with Kingspan, one of the building materials firms caught up in the Grenfell cladding scandal. Kingspan markets itself as a firm that can speed the world to “a net-zero emissions future” with its insulating panels. And Mercedes bought into this mission statement: before signing the deal, it simply accepted Kingspan’s assurances that it had supplied only a small proportion of the Grenfell cladding. Yet anyone paying attention to the public inquiry into…

One meal a day is good for dogs Pet owners may feel it is kinder to give their dogs breakfast and supper, but a new study has indicated that feeding dogs just once a day may be better for their health. Researchers at the University of Arizona analysed surveys submitted by more than 24,000 pet owners in the US, and found that dogs that ate just once a day had a lower risk of developing health problems including bone disease and kidney disorders. The study, which has not been peer reviewed, also evaluated the impact of feeding frequency on cognitive function within a smaller set of dogs. Animals that were fed once a day were found to have lower levels of cognitive dysfunction than those that ate more often –…

Julia Donaldson’s books, including The Gruffalo and Zog and Stick Man, have sold in their tens of millions. But even she sometimes has to have awkward conversations with her publisher, Alison Green. In a recent interview, she revealed that Green had objected to the opening lines in her book Superworm, and asked her to change them. The book now begins: “Superworm is super-long. Superworm is super-strong.” Originally, it started: “Superworm is long and pink, Superworm can grow and shrink.” George Clooney isn’t averse to appearing in adverts: his work promoting Nespresso has earned him some $40m. But he is picky about which firms he will endorse, he told The Guardian. He was once offered $35m for a single day’s work, on an airline commercial, but after talking to his wife,…

The road to doing business with Beijing is “littered with grovelling apologies, cringeworthy kowtows and silent complicity in repression”, said Ian Williams in The Spectator. Hats off, then, to the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), which last week suspended tournaments in China, including Hong Kong, in protest at Beijing’s treatment of tennis star Peng Shuai. Peng alleged on her Weibo social media account last month that China’s former vice-premier Zhang Gaoli had sexually assaulted her. Censors removed the post within 20minutes; the account was blocked, and Peng herself disappeared from public view for more than two weeks. After an international outcry, Chinese officials released a series of staged photos and videos, and facilitated two private video calls between Peng and International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach. But this didn’t win…

F1: Hamilton wins “chaotic” Saudi Arabian GP Perhaps it was always destined to come down to this, said Tom Cary in The Daily Telegraph: the “most thrilling championship in recent memory” is to be decided by a “winner-takes-all shoot-out”. Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen are head to head coming into the season’s final race in Abu Dhabi, locked on 369.5 points apiece. Mouth-watering as that prospect is, however, it will be hard to surpass, for sheer drama, the race that brought the two to this point: last Sunday’s inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Heldona “brand-new street circuit” in Jeddah, it encapsulated, in its chaos and unpredictability, the “crazy, confusing season we have experienced”. There were crashes, collisions, and open animosity between the two leading drivers. It ended with a third…

A cruel experiment To The Guardian As people who were detained indefinitely in Australia’s offshore camps on Nauru and Manus Island, Papua New Guinea, and as professionals who were employed there, we are deeply concerned that the UK Government will attempt this week to grant itself the same power to send people seeking asylum to offshore detention centres. We have watched as the UK Government has drafted legislation that allows for the indefinite detention offshore of women, men and children; refused a probing amendment to exclude survivors of trafficking and torture; and ignored the failings and financial costs of the Australian experiment, which saw the Australian government spend £8.6bn to detain 3,127 people in appalling conditions, while failing to end dangerous boat journeys. Two of us lost a combined 13…

by Olivia Yallop Scribe 288pp £16.99 The Week Bookshop £13.99 Influencers, it’s fair to say, don’t enjoy a good press, said Elle Hunt in New Scientist. Since the word took on a new meaning in the mid-2010s – standing for those paid by brands to endorse their products online – it has been “tied to an image of a young woman hawking dubious diet teas to boost her currency on social media”. Yet in this rigorous and authoritative book, Olivia Yallop argues that we should take the phenomenon seriously. For a start, influencing is big business: it is worth at least $10bn per year globally. For another, its emergence connects to broader changes in the realms of advertising, work and online culture. Yallop, a digital strategist, is an ideal guide…

Peggy gets a call from step-daughter Hazel – she’s been ill and wants to visit Ambridge. Given her past behaviour, Kate is suspicious. Chelsea reads Blake an interview in the Echo with further revelations from another of Philip’s victims. Blake realises it’s Jordan, and the scales finally fall from his eyes. After encouragement from Chelsea, Blake calls Harrison and says he’s ready to talk. Hazel visits Peggy and Kate and nearly faints. She explains it’s Long Covid; Peggy worries about her being on her own at Grey Gables and invites her to stay at The Lodge. Meanwhile, there’s a setback for The Mysteries with news that Benjamin the donkey can’t perform. Chelsea and Mia continue to clash. Lynda rebukes Mia at rehearsals, but later apologises and advises her on how…

Kitchen kit Every cook, even the most casual, needs a probe thermometer, said GQ. And the “classic orange” Thermapen (£52; thermapen.co.uk) – temperature readings in just three seconds – is “one of the best”. Or for £66, the Thermapen One will do the same job in a single second. Accurate weighing is another key to success, said The Daily Telegraph – and “one of the sexiest scales around” is the Ooni Dual Platform digital scales (£40; uk.ooni.com). An “ergonomic wonder”, it measures to within a tenth of a gram. For a chef’s knife that can tackle any job, the Wüsthof Classic Santoku (£77; boroughkitchen.com) is ideal: it sharpens up superbly and has scalloped sides to stop food sticking to the blade. For a young baker, the Casdon Kenwood mixer (£25;…

Impala pink quad roller skates With a PVC upper, heel and sole, these retro-inspired roller skates are approved as vegan by Peta, which will appeal to some teenagers. Hard-wearing and waterproof, they have four wheels, and a plastic brake stopper (from £85; urbanoutfitters.com). VTech kidi superstar DJ studio Kids can record their own songs and learn to DJ with 15 pre-set tracks in four styles. There is Bluetooth to connect external music too, five different sound effects and disco lights (batteries required: 4x AA). Ages 6+ (£60; smythstoys.com). Magna-Tiles Created by a Japanese maths teacher, these magnetic tiles are designed to help children learn geometric concepts at home. They are made from BPA-free plastic. Age 3+ (from £20; amazon.co.uk). Vilac metal push car Perfect for budding little drivers, this French-made, ride-on…

Three nights in Venice Stay at the elegant family-run Hotel Carlton on the Grand Canal, opposite Santa Lucia station, from £331pp b&b, including Birmingham flights. 0800-408 0778, jet2holidays.com. Depart 10 February. LA & Vegas excursions See the Grand Canyon and visit Hollywood on this 9-day adventure from £1,530pp room-only (travel transfers and London flights included). 0333-060 5670, newmarketholidays.co.uk. Depart 28 April. Spanish Grand Prix 2022 The experience includes a 3-day admission ticket and 5 nights at the Alegria Plaza Paris (half-board), from £449pp, including Bristol flights. 020-3368 6221, broadwaytravel.com. Depart 18 May. Lisbon city-centre stay Spend 4 nights at the My Story Hotel Tejo, near Praça da Figueira, one of Lisbon’s most historic squares, from £333pp b&b, including Edinburgh flights. 020-3451 2688, tui.co.uk. Depart 11 February. Covid-19: please check government…

Didi/Evergrande: spreading contagion? Just months after its debut, the Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing is quitting the New York Stock Exchange to hitch a lift to Hong Kong. Frankly, it didn’t have much choice, said Siladitya Ray in Forbes. Having defied Beijing to stage the IPO in June, in the teeth of the Communist Party’s wider crackdown on Big Tech, Didi has endured “months of pressure from Chinese regulators” – including a ban on signing up new users and “a cybersecurity probe into its practices”. Shares have lost more than half their flotation value. Hong Kong is hardly Outer Mongolia, and high valuations for tech companies are also readily achievable there. Even so, Didi’s news had a “chilling” effect on an already jittery market sector, said the Financial Times –…

Aturning point in Chinese power Ambrose Evans-Pritchard The Daily Telegraph No one yet understands the economic implications of the Omicron variant, but even the best outcomes spell “the end of the road for China’s zero-Covid policy”, says Ambrose Evans-Pritchard. Its travel ban will stay in place, but even so, the highly infectious new variant is poised to “rip through a population with almost no natural immunity from past exposure” and reliant on questionable “home-grown vaccines”. Succumbing to Omicron would be a bitter pill for a regime that has trumpeted its zero-Covid status as “a dazzling vindication of Xi Jinping’s rule”. Yet in truth, “last year’s narrative of China as the runaway winner of the pandemic” has already been “inverted”. The US economy has roared back: it is “now on a…

Astra Zeneca The Daily Telegraph Although Omicron has sent vaccine-makers’ shares into orbit, AstraZeneca’s lag (after a 40% rise) has prompted profit-taking. Yet that ignores its “formidable research capabilities” and a well-diversified pipeline of new drugs. Buy. £82.76. DS Smith The Sunday Telegraph DS Smith’s paper-based recyclable packaging taps into accelerating sustainability and e-commerce trends. Passing on higher costs to corporate customers. Yields 3.2%. Buy. 372.6p. GB Group The Times The fraud-prevention specialist has grown largely as a result of acquisition – recently snapping up US ID specialist Acuant. It should benefit from further industry consolidation beyond the UK and US. Buy. 780p. Redde Northgate The Times The vehicle-hire group is making hay while a cloud hangs over the manufacturing sector. Hire rates and used-vehicle sale prices have now risen,…

THE WEEK CROSSWORD 1290 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 20 December. Email the answers as a scan of a completed grid or a list, with the subject line The Week crossword 1290, 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 Best thing to read with small Scotch in The King’s Head (3,4) 5 Eccentric US golfer? (7) 9 John, sort of councillor (5) 10 Coward perhaps coming from drink at first (9) 11 Musical drama in small shelter gets band together (9) 12…