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    The — Amagnificent “Acting is who became homage to nota game... “Acid Raine” Paul Cézanne It’s serious” ta | Zi on y ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT EVERYTHING THAT MATTERS 2 NEWS What happened Russia retaliates Moscow launched a series of devastating air strikes on Ukrainian cites this week, in response to an explosion on the only bridge linking Russia to Crimea. Kyiv was one of several cities hit by Monday's ai strikes, which killed atleast 14 people. There were further deadly strikes on Tuesdas, inluding on the hard-hit front-line eity cof Zaporiahzhia. Vladimie Putin said the acral bombardment was in retaliation for what he called a “terrorist attack” on the Kerch bridge. Built after Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014, it serves asa vital supply route for Moscow’ troops. Ukraine did not claim esponsibility for blowing up the bridge, but officials in Kyiv celebrated the attack. "The Kerch bridge in flames Russia's aggression was condemned by the UN, Nato and G7 leaders, who vowed to “hold President Putin and those responsible ro account”. President Biden had earlier ‘warned that Putin’s nuclear threats (see page 11) make the risk of “Armageddon” greater now than at any time since the Cuban Missile Crisis. Ukraine's President Zelensky responded to the strikes by urging the West to take “resolute action” against Russia, and requesting more missile defence weapons. What happened Truss’s charm offensive Liz Truss sought to mend ties with her :mutinous party this week as MPs returned to Westminster. Ir was reported that the Prime Minister would hold regular “policy lunches” with small groups of MPs, and once- a-month meetings at No. 10 with all Tory backbenchers, She appointed Greg Hands, a supporter of her former rival Rishi Sunak, as a minister. She also made Treasury veteran James Bowler the department's new Permanent Secretary, despite Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng having identified the outsider Antonia Romeo as his preferred candidate. Kwarteng announced that he was bringi forward publication of his fiscal plan, an independent economic forecasts, to 31 October, but this news failed to reassure the bond markets (see page 42). The Institute for Fiscal Studies think tank warmed that Kwarteng ‘would need to make savings of around £60bn to convince investors that he can stabilise the UK’s public finances. It wasn’t all bad rescue dog that got lost ‘while chasing squire Community orchards are ‘4 wood on the outst ‘booming in Engl (of Bristol trotted 4.5 miles renewed intrest land sparked by the Covid-19. ockdowms. Caire Matthes, who hhas set up more than a dozen community orchards inthe past {wo yeats, said that many of the ‘plas from this year's bumpor {top wil go t0 local meals-on ‘wheels services or food banks. ‘The orchards are also helping to ‘across the city to get home navigating busy streets and ‘even the Cliton Suspension Bridge. When Libby Bowles, noticed that Pip was missing, she had a "sick fooling" but she posted ‘anotiee on an online ‘message board, and was ‘soon getting alerts from The main stories The PM: in “big trouble”? What the editorials said ‘The barrage of missles unleashed on Ukraine this week was “the biggest since the opening day of the war” — and marked ‘the first time im months that Kyi had been struck, said The Economist. Rockets hit several cities, including Lyi, in Ukr ne's west, Kharkiv in the east, and Odesa on the Black Sea coast, And although Ukraine had expected reprisals for the Kerch bridge explosion, the “apparently indiscriminate destruction” wrought by Russia may “mark the start of a harsh new chapter in an already cruel war Putin claimed that only military and strategic tangets were hit, said The Times — but in Kyi, missiles struck a university, a pedestrian bridge, and a park popular with families. The Russians did steike some Ukrainian infrastructure sites, said the FT, But the fact that very few high- ‘value military targets were hit suggests “either that civilian sites were purposely targeted, or that the missiles were highly inaccurate™. Fither way, Ukraine urgently needs | better air defence systems, said The Washington Post. Kyiv shot down 43 of the 83 missile fired by Russia, and it will soon benefit from more weapons from the US and Germany. But with Patin clearly willing to unleash “aerial terrorism”, Ukraine is going to need all the defences it ean get. What the editorials said “Truss’s premiership has got off to a historically bad start, said ee eae a 1 Queen, the PM spent just seven day control before the disastrous mini Budget blew up her Government. “That is the shelf life ofa lettuce.” And sadiy for Truss, said ‘The Independent, her future prospects look: no brighter. combination of politcal and J financial pressure is now set to “exert a pincer ‘movement” on her plans for the public finances, ‘exacerbating the Government's predicament. ‘The Government isin “big trouble”, said the Daily Express. But give Truss a chance. To her credit, she has accepted that she and Kwarteng should have prepared the ground better for the ‘mini-Budget, and they've reversed their planned . att the top rae of tax ores must now sat working together — or they'll doom any hope of a comeback. ‘Truss’s problems stem less from the content of her plans than their “maladroit handling”, said The Daily Telegraph. The Government won't recover its authority by abandoning its reforming agenda, “The U-turns have to stop.” Hedgehogs are flourishing in tho Nottinghamshire village, ‘of Keyworth thanks to a ‘community effort to create hholes in their garden walls and fences to allow the animals to roam, “We had a lady on the street saying that she hadn't sean any in her garden for 30 years, and then suddenly after wwe drilled some holes they startod appearing,” said one resident. "The hedgehogs help to build the community. and the community then heips the hedgehogs in return." revive “lost” apple varieties that ‘re rarely cold in supermarkets, such asthe Bloody Ploughman and the Beauty of Bath. ‘people all over the city who hed spotted the dog. a podenco. By the time she got home from her search two hours latr, Pip was ‘waiting for her. it makes me cringe to think of him erossing the big roads and a big roundabout, but somehow he did it” sho said. “THE WEEK 15 Octobe 2022 ...and how they were covered NEWS 3 What the commentators said This aerial assault has one man’s fingerprints all over it, said Mare Bennetts and Larisa Brown in’The Times, Sergei Surovikin was only named as Russia's fist overall commander for the war oon Saturday, but he has already lived up to his nickname of “General Armageddon”, bestowed in recognition of his “notoriously brutal” tactics. Surovikin gained infamy in 2016 when he oversaw the devastating Russian bombardment that helped Syrian regime forces retake Aleppo, said Mark Galeotti in The Spectator. Those familiar with his record describe a man possessed by “deep-seated fury” who combines “competence with extreme ruthlessness”, and who regards, terror as a legitimate battlefield tactic. “This is the man now in charge of the wae” Putin has been under pressure to take a more hardline approach to the war for some time, and the explosion on the heavily defended Kerch bridge will have cemented his resolve, said Roland Oliphant in The Sunday Telegraph. He opened the $3.6bn road and rail bridge himself, in 2018, falling a dream held by Russian nationalists since the 13th century. An atack on it was thus viewed as “2 Russian red line” ~ but in Ukraine, the explosion has been marked by the issue of commemorative stamps. Coming as it did a day after Putin's 70th birthday, and a week after his illegal annexation of four Ukrainian territories, the explosion was highly symbolic, said Peter Beaumont and Pjotr Sauer in The Observer. But it has “real-term consequences too”: the route isa key supply line for Russian forces in Ukraine's south, where they are in retreat. The explosion could go down as “the moment Russian elites began to understand that they are losing", said Eliot A Cohen in The Atlantic. Past seebacks could be atsibuted to poor decisions by expendable military chiefs. But the bridge attack indicates that Ukraine is capable of reaching “deep behind” Russian ines to strike with “exquisite precision”. Even So, Putin's retaliatory bombardment this week shows that he isin no mood fo be humiliate, said Michael Bociurkiw on CNN. Yes, i was a vengeful and desperate ac; but it was also a reminder that Russia ean cause “immense damage and dislocation” when it wants t0. What the commentators said Will a reprisal ofthe “fizz. with Liz” gatherings Truss held as foreign secretary rescue her premiership? Not on its own, said Hugo Gye in The i Paper. To secure her position, the PM will also need to improve her dre poll eatings and show results. She can point to some progress on the later front, in the form of rising hopes of a breakthrough in negotiations over the Northern Ireland Protocol, and the end of the barristers’ strike, But the Government's central dilemma remains as intractable as ever, said John Rentoul in The Independent. It can’t announce big spending cuts, because Tory rebels won't stand for that, Nor can it raise taxes, because other backbenchers will block them. “And it cannot leave things as they are, because the markets are not convinced that the Governments eredit is good.” How Kwarteng hopes to square that circle in the plan he's publishing at Halloween is anybody's guess, said Katy Balls in The i Paper. The £60bn fiscal hole identified by the IFS is “almost twice what George Osborne cut in 2010”. Its hard to retain much hope for Truss and her Government, said Andrew Neil in the Daily Mail. Tory MPs “have the strong whiff of rebellion in their nostril, and they seem rather to relish it. They can’t help themselves.” Its a cruel irony that a PM and Chancellor who set out to deliver a “fresh, original stare” may instead have succeeded, through a “combination of inexperience and stupidity”, in killing off the chances of “genuine, radical Tory reform for a generation”. There certainly doesn’t appear to be much of a tenable way forward for Truss ftow sad Simon Jenkins in The Guaraian, The best option forthe Tories would be to replace her with a caretaker leader such a Michael Gove. The job ofthe new leader wouldn't Be ro win the next election ~ its too late for that. Rather, it would be to avert an “electoral humiliation” and to preside over the Tories’ ordey transition into opposition, where the party can “rediscover itself” and “put the turmoil of Brexit, lockdown and Truss behind it". The burglary statistics for England and Wales make for depressing reading. A recent investigation by The Daily Telegraph revealed that in neighbourhoods covering nearly half the country, police had feed to solve a single burglary in the past three years, and that forces had sent officers to just. tne in four reports. Home Ofice data show that more than a million burglaries have gone unsolved in the past six years. But moves are afoot to improve ths situation. Last week, all 43 chief constables in England and Wales signed an agreement committing them to send officers to every home burglary regardless of what had been stolen. Tis follows a new “rapid evidence assessment” carried out by the Collage of Policing, presented ai a meting of police chiefs last month, which found that prompt attendance at burglary scenes can help investigations and prevent future crimes in the area. ‘Some forces already follow this policy, apparently with good results. Bedfordshire, for instance, which committed two yeats ago to visiting every domestic burglary vietim, has cut its number of break-ins by 60%. Greater Manchester has doubled burglary arrests in the year since it adopted the ifthe story. They don't capture the intangible benefits, or what you might cl the placebo oe of tending victims of burglary: the reassurance it provides, the greater police visibility" offers. As Weody Allen famously declared notin relation to policing "80% of success is showing up" Harry Nicolle Subscriptions: 0330:333 9494; sbscponssthoneckco.k © Futuro PLE 2022, Al gis esorved. Tho Wook 3 regres ‘wader Nelthr tha whol of hs pusleaton nr any art ot maybe rproduced, ore In a eo! seem or wansmtad sy orm or by ry means without the ten ermisson of he pubishes| What next? An agreement between Putin and Belarus's President Alexander Lukashenko to forma joint group of troops fon the Ukrainian border has fuelled fears that Rosia may attempt another groun: invasion of Kyi reports The Daily Telegraph. Lukashenko told his officials to prepare to house thousands of Russian ‘troops, but gave no details of the size or precise purpose of the new joint force. Moscow has arrested eight people, including five ‘Russians and three citizens of Ukraine and Armenia, over the bridge explosion, which it says was orchesrared by Kyi. Russa said the last was caused by 22,770ke of explosives inside a truck, which killed four people ‘when i lew up. What next? ‘The PM has delayed the launch of ita fpr growth reforms after failing to agree a deregulation plan ith her Busines Secretary Jacob Rees-Mog, reports “The Times, She had been due to set out changes to workers’ rights this ‘Wednesday, but following hier rejection of the most radical measures put forward by Rees-Mogg, the first reforms are now expected to be announced neat eck rus also understood to be havi second thoughts about a real-terms benefits cut. Kwarteng, meanwhile, has pledged t0 meet all 356 ‘Tory MPs before seting ‘out his fiscal plan. 15 October 2022 THE WEEK 4 NEWS Politics introversy of the week Blackout Britain “A challenging winter” That's what National Grid tells us we'ee heading for in its grim Winter Outlook Report, said Oliver Gillin The Daily Telegraph. All being well, the supply of energy should be enough to meet demand, it says. And if we dlo stare running low on the clectricity flowing through the high-voltage cables, o “interconnectors”, that run under the sea from France, Belgium and the Netherlands, there are at least back-up plans. We can “fre up” three of our ageing coal-fired power stations; we can pay households and businesses to use electricity at off-peak times. Bu if conditions turn nasty ~if, say, Patin cuts off yet more of Russia’ gas supply, or another “Beast from the East” makes the winter bitter cold ~ then, for the fest time since the winter of 1973-4, when Ted Heath's cabinet met by candlelight, blackouts would return to the UK. Rateliffe-om Saar coal-fired station Rota disconnection” is the technical term for the three-hour power cuts exch ofthe 15 licensed areas of the country would take turns being subjected to, said Alex Lawson in The Guardian. House- holders would typically get text message warnings of a looming disconnection, but key businesses, along with essential services, Armed Forces bases and transport hubs, would be exempt. Don't let the Government fool you, said Juliet Samuel in'The Daily Telegraph. This isn’ “if” —itis “when”: supply _margins for gas and electricity are so waferthin, there’ no way well keep the lights on through January. We assume we can rely on imports from France, but France is hoping there'll be enough ‘wind to import energy from our wind farms. Nor ean we rely on Germany one of the biggest sources of winter gas in Europe, thanks to its “prodigious storage capacity” ~ as its running short itself. Like fools, we shut down much of our own storage capacity in 2017, said Emmet Penney in ‘The Spectator. You can “blame the evil Russian guy” all you like for impending shortages ~ and he hhas certainly made things worse — but ths isan energy security crisis of our own making. We've over- invested in “unreliable renewables” and been too squeamish about fossil fuels and nuclear power, ‘One thing's for sure, said Dominic Lawson in the Daily Mail: ro have any chance of averting blackouts, we'll ll need to cut down on energy use. And the new Energy Secretary, Jacob Rees-Moge, recently signed off on a £15m public information campaign advising us how to do just that. Utterly absurd, then, that Prime Minister Liz Truss should have blocked it simply because she's opposed to the “nanny state”. Can't she see that this isn't about scolding individuals for their private decisions, its about encouraging them to take action “for the good of the nation”. Many such initiatives are already under way in Europe, said Rachel Cunliffe in The New Statesman: they're even dimming the lights on the Brandenburg Gave and the Eiffel Tower. By ruling out a similar *mild nudge” to avoid a potentially “calamitous” situation, our PM has yet again “backed herself into a corner”. Barristers end strike Criminal baristers England and Wales have voted to end their strike in response to an improved Offer from tha Government. ‘The deal includes an immediate 15% increase in legal ad fees for most cases going through the Crown Court system, and a fund to compensate barristers for some af the time they spend preparing legal aid cases, ‘which was previously unpaid. Members of the Criminal Bar Association voted by 86% 10.43.2% to accept the offer. Their industrial action star in April and escalated unit berrstors began an indefinite strike on 8 Septomb o ‘Macron’s summit Uz Truss travelled to Prague last week to attend the first, ‘meeting ofthe 44-nation European Political ‘Community, a new forum created by the French presidont, Emmanuel Macron. Leaders from the EU, Turkey, Norway and Moldova were among the other attendees, whi Ukraine preeident gave an ‘address via video link. Topics overed included the war in Ukraine and energy security Truss said her presence was "not about moving closer to Europe”, but she referred 10 Macron 28 9 “trend” — having previously said the “jury was out” as to whethor he was a “friend or foo" _ Good week for: Spirit of the age Liverpool, which won its bid to host nexe year's Eurovision siot ino Unvnyot Sng Tne recall ie erp nas ‘Manchester have been the winner of this year’s contest, but for safety reasons organisers tacceatotet sous Seidel sites te UR sts cone wend Thou as “pensioner” or “elderly”, people are expected to pour into Liverpool for the contest in May. Pes ‘Aisbab landlords responded to the news by cancelling whatever eae eraee te, olin they had ad bumeingup aco. ise lingioge ge egy wach wes tins mox popu bs mane in 202, BRCM OMEN Sncthgobvcotthewyspsk testa beep ear Se egy whet dastoy ace mel Nosh Obs once Bona SEEM Srootn cdc rds gir mame veegee wepeissdeecgentan — Secntcas inery tent naa tes wi from atoringo peoples Freya, Florence and Willow replaced Kabel, Rose and Sophia ee eee Frasier, with confirmation that the hit 1990s sitcom is making od ee a comeback, In the new series, the psychiatrist-turned-radio host SOOSERN Vy Crema ei cecas a enc esee ek Sone thermals end slippers have soared in ocentwooks, a8 k for: British shoppers seek to nua ish shops sesh 1 Joromy Clarkson, who was ordered to shut the restaurant on his Ghualhoatngauingthe _ Diddly Squat Farm in Oxfordshire. The TV presenter opened the costotiving esis, John caf€in Jul, despite having been denied planning permission, an Lowi said that its dressing customers poured into the area. He said he'd found a “loophole gown sales were up 76% that allowed him to operate the business ina former lambing, compared with last year, shed, but the council has disagreed. and thet customers wer Christmas hunch, with reports of an avian flu outbreak. Suffolk’ ‘buying onesies much ea panies Gresingham Foods, the UR’ largest goose proces, is said to have had to cul thousands of birds. THE WEEK 15 October 2022 Poll watch ‘Twothirds of adults in England say they regularly ‘experience "Sundey ‘searies" 1, anxiety ‘about the coming week Work stressos, ack of sloop ‘and looming to-do lists are Feportod ae the top causes ‘of Sunday evening worry. OID Cansuswide (Only 45% of Britons aged 16 t0 34 say they strongly. ‘support or tend to support Britains role in the war in Uiraine. 15% oppose it ‘Amang those aged 86 to 175, 80% suppor Britain's role, and 10% oppose it. Ipsos/The Times Li Truse's approval ratings ‘are now at -47%, below both Boris Johnson's low ‘of -44% during the Partygate ‘scandal and Theresa May's 46% in the days befor her resignation. Opiniur The Observer Europe at a glance Creesiough, roland. Station blast: Ten people were killed Jase week in a huge explosion at 1 petrol station in County Donegal. Ietore apart Applegreen service station and its on-site ‘a communal hub for the 400 inhabitants of Creeslough village. Among the dead ‘was five-year-old Shauna Flanagan Garwe (pictured) and her father Robert, who were buying her mother a birthday cake when the blast occurred. A major rescue ‘operation from both sides of the border scoured through the rubble for more than 24 hours, rescuing eight injured people land recovering the bodies. The explosion appears to have been an accident ~ probably the resul ofa gas leak, Copenhagen Mink massacre: Denmark's once hugely popula: Social Democrat prime minister, ‘Mette Frederiksen, has had to call an early general election because a member of her ruling coalition has threatened +o pull out. The Social Liberal Party says it is withdrawing support owing to Frederiksen’s handling ofthe country’s disastrous mink cull In 2020, her government decided to slaughter Denmark’ entire mink population of 17 million, fr fear some animals might be carrying a variant of Covid-19. The decision decimated the country’s fur industry, destroying thousands of livelihoods; ir later emerged thar the move ‘was also illegal. The goverment avoided punishment after the courts judged they hhad not broken the law intentionally. But Frederiksen, who at 41 became Denmark’s yyoungestever PM, has seen her approval ratings plummet since. Madrid Smugglers arrested: A major Albanian people-smugaling gang responsible for trafficking migrants into the UK from Spain has been “dismantled” by officers from Britain's National Crime Agency, who had been working in tandem for over 4 year with the Spanish Civil Guard. Seven igang members have been arrested. The ‘gang, which has been running its lucrative ‘operation since 2014, reporcedly charges ‘migrants berween €3,000 and €15,000 (£2,600 to £13,000) for arcanging the journey across the Channel and into the UK, via the northern cities of Santander and Bilbao, The authoritis have identified around 50 people who made the crossing, ‘though the number is thought to be far higher. The Civil Guard said the means ‘of concealment used to hide the migrants posed a serious threat to thee lives. This Year, more than 33,500 people have crossed the Channel to the UK in small boats. Cate up with day news a theweekco.uk Riga ban plea: Latvia's PM, Krigjanis Karin’, has reignited debace within the EU about the need for tougher sanctions against Moscow, by calling on EU leaders to cease issuing tourist visas to Russian nationals, Edanic Russians form over 25 ‘of Latvia's population, and they make up about a third of the population in Riga, the capital. Although Latvia's pro-Kremlin Harmony Party does not have close to ‘enough parliamentary seats to govern, there are fears that that may change ifthe thousands fleeing Russia to avoid Putin’ military draft are allowed to enter. Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, along with Poland and Finland, have already stopped issuing Russian citizens with Schengen visas (that allow travel across the EU). France and Germany are loath to puta stop to them, arguing they provide a lifeline for Putin’s ‘opponents, bus Prime Minster Karin’ insists that leting in the Russians ‘would spark a larger exodas and pose areal security ris. € — passed a highly ‘A Begs A after the death of up grudges” the amnesty had put to rest. NEWS 5 Lyman, Ukraine ‘Mass graves: Ukrainian officals say they hhave uncovered two mass graves atthe recently recapcured town of Lyman, one holding the bodies of around 200 civilians (some children as young as one), and the ‘other the bodies of both soldiers and civilians. These are by no means the first such graves to be discovered: last month, 436 bodies were exhumed in the town of Tzyum—many with their hands tied behind their backs. At Lyman, however, where many townspeople have been killed by. shelling, initial investigations suggest that the bodies being unearthed were buried by locals, not by Russian soldiers. Lyman isa strategic rail hub in the north of Donetsk, ‘one of four regions President Putin annexed via sham referendums last month, \ \ \ / he Lesbos, Greece Boat deaths: Greece's prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, has expressed “deep sorrow for the tragic loss of life” resulting from the sinking of two boats laden with migrants, while also praising the “heroic efforts of the Greek rescue services, The first boat sank off the coast of Lesbos, ithad departed the Turkish coast with around 40 people on board, but capsized in extremely high winds, Atleast 18 people drowned as a result; 25 others were ‘dramatically rescued by Greek emergency services. The second rescue took place on the other side of the Aegean Sea, where a boat crashed into rocks near the island of Kyhira. Volunteers and emergency services trailed ropes down steep cliffs as winds of 4Smph whipped around them. About 80 people were rescued, though a further 11 are thought to be missing. This year alone, ‘more than 60 people have died attempting {0 cross into Europe from Turkey. 18 Ostber 2022. THE WEEK 6 NEWS ‘Menlo Park, California Metaverse setbacks: Executives at Meta have ordered a “quality lockdown" for the rest ofthe year, to fix bugs in the tech siant’s “metaverse” project. A year ago, Mark Zuckerberg declared that he was changing Facebook's name to Meta, to reflect his ambition to create a virtual reality world where millions of people would work, shop and socialise ‘Thousands of staff and billions of dollars were diverted to the project. But according to internal memos obtained. by The New York Times, the metaverse has got off to a slow start. Users of Horizon Worlds, a game that isthe closest thing to it so fa, complain that it's so glitchy i is almost unusable; a poll of cmployces found that only 58% understood the metaverse strategy; and staff now jokingly refer to metaverse projects as MMH ~ “make Mark happy". With Meta facing increasingly stiff competition from TikTok in particular (see page 41), its share price has fallen nearly 60% in a year, and last month, it announced a hiring freeze. ‘Santa Fe, New Mexico Baldwin setlement: Alec Baldwin has reached a settlement with the family of Halyna Hutchins, the cinematographer who was Killed on a film se in New Mexico last October, The financial terms of the deal, which is subject ro court approval, have not been disclosed; but it includes a stipulation that Hurchins’s husband, Matthew, will serve as an executive producer of the ‘western, Rust, when filming resumes in January, He said that he {cepted that his wie’ death ad been &“terable”acident, and that he had “no interest in engaging in recriminations”. Halyna ‘was killed when a prop gun that Baldwin was holding discharged dlring rehearsals; Baldwin insists that he had been told the ‘weapon was safe, However, the Santa Fe district attorney has said that the actor, who was also serving as a producer on the film, could still face criminal charges, along with three other people. Port-au-Prince Military appeal: The government of Haiti has requested “the immediate deployment of a specialised armed force” from abroad, to help it curb the gang violence chat is paralysing the {impoverished island nation. Warring gangs have tightened their grip over the capital, Port-au-Prince, in recent weeks, blockading the city’s main fuel terminal and forcing the closure of businesses and hospitals. The lawlessness has contributed to severe shortages (of food and water, raising warnings from the government of an impending humanitarian catastrophe if it does not get hep. However, protesters have referred to the possible deployment of intemational forces as an unwanted “occupation” Fait is also facing a health crisis in the form of a new cholera outbreak that hhas so far killed at least 16 people. Easter Island, Chile Moai damaged: A wildfire that ripped ‘through Easter Island lase week as ‘caused “irreparable” damage to some ‘of the enigmatic stone-carved figures for which the island is famous. Officials on the Pacific island, a special territory of Chile, said an unspecified number of the monoliths, known as moai, had been “toeally burned” by the fre, which may have ben started deliberately. There are about 900 moai on Easter Islands standing up to 33f¢ all and weighing as much as 86 tonnes, they ‘were carved between 1200 and 1650, and sit ina ring around the coast. Those that were damaged were concentrated around the Rano Raraku voleano,a Unesco world heritage sit. THE WEEK 15 October 2022 The world at a glance ‘Washington De ‘Marijuana pardon: President Biden has signed an executive order ‘o pardon thousands of Americans convicted of simple maeijuana possession ata federal level. According to The New York Times, the pardon will affect people who were convicted of possessing small amounts ofthe drug, for their own use, berween 1992 and, 2021. Ir only amounts to a few thousand people, asthe vast majority of offenders are convicted under local laws. But Biden has called on state governors o follow suit by issuing pardons of their own, Announcing the move, he said that America's “failed approach” on cannabis had resulted in “too many lives” being upended, and that it had disproportionately affected ethnic minorities, He also announced a review into whether cannabis should remain a “schedule 1” drug, like heroin. Nineteen states have legalised the recreational use of cannabis; a law to legalise i nationwide would require congressional approval. Las Tejerias, Venezuela Deadly landslides: At least 43 people have been killed in deadly landslides in northern Venezuela ‘ ‘Ministers said that a month's worth of rain had fallen in eight hours, causing major rivers to burst, their banks and sending a torent of mud, rock and debris down ‘mountainsides, and into the town of Las Tejrias. By the start of this week, around 3,000 rescue workers, equipped with drones and trained dogs, had been deployed to the town to search for the ‘more than 50 people who were still missing. Officials said thar at least 300 houses had been “completely destroyed", and more than 750 had been significantly damaged. President Nicolis Maduco hhas designated the area a disaster zone and declared three day’ of national mourning. sakes The world at a glance Ogharu, Nigeria Flood disaster: Scores of people lost their lives last week while trying to flee flooding, in souchern Nigeria. The victims were residents of an inundated area of Anambra State who had crammed into a boat in an effort to reach safe ground. According to local officials, the boat ran into submerged trees and rooftops, and was soon, overpowered by waves. Only nine of the ‘estimated 85 people on board are known to have survived: as of this week, most of the other 76, including many children, were missing, presumed dead. Nigeria has been bartling its worst floods in a decade, ‘caused by weeks of heavy rain, and exacerbated by the release of excess water from Lagdo Dam in Cameroon, Atleast 300 people have died, and 100,000 have been displaced; and thousands of hectares of farmland have been destroyed. \ Kampata “Tweeting general: Uganda's President ‘Museveni has sacked his son as commander of the country’s infantry forces, for making ‘unprovoked threats to lay siege to the Kenyan capital. Known as “the tweeting general” on account of his history of ‘making controversial remarks on social ‘media, Lt Gen Muhoosi Kainerugaba had posted that it would take his army less than two weeks to capture Nairobi Kenya's new president, William Ruto, is ‘on good terms with Uganda's authoritarian leader, and Kampala was quick to stress that relations were “harmonious”. But although Kainerugaba was sacked, he was still promoted to a four-star general, and hhe will remain a military adviser to his father, whose security apparatus he runs. NEWS 7 Na Kiang, Thailand Preschool attack: The Thai prime minister has announced a new crackdown on drugs ~ with ‘an emphasis on the treatment of addicts ~ in the wake of the devastating attack on a nursery school in the northeast ofthe country last week, At least 37 people were killed in the mass shooting and stabbing; most ofthe vitims were young children, who were taking an afternoon nap when 34-year- ‘old Panya Kamrab broke into the building armed ‘with a shotgun, pistol and meat-cleaver. More children might have died, had heavy rain not prevented many of the preschoolers from going into the nursery that day. ‘A former police officer, Kamrab had been dismissed from the force for possessing methamphetamine, Following the massacre, he went home, where he killed his wife ‘and child before shooting himself "The most deadly attack by a single perpetrator in recent Thai history, it has sparked calls for a renewed crackdown on the drugs trade, as well as fora review of gun laws, ‘and for stricter enforcement of existing laws. In 2016, Thailand had an estimated ten milion privately owned firearms, of which up to four million were unregistered. Pyongyang ‘Nucleae theeat: Kim Jong Un has said that North Korea’ recent flurry (of missile ests was a Simulation of a nuclear attack on South Korea, Over the past lew weeks, Pyongyang has launched seven sets of missiles in response to US-South Korean milicary dil ‘This week, it said thar the missiles were designed to carry tactical nuclear ‘weapons, and that they'd been loaded with replica watheads. Kim recently described North Korea asan “irreversible” nuclear power that could ‘use such ‘weapons pre, emptivey. Boirut MPS siti A Lebanese opposition MP staged a sit-in at her local bank last week, accompanied by ber lawyer, in an effort to gain access to her savings: Officials ‘eventually agreed Kheda district, India Police beatings: Footage of Indian police publicly logging at least five Muslims accused of disrupting a Hindu festival in Gujarat has sparked renewed outrage to provide Cynthia Zarazir with $8,500 (£7,700) from her account, which she said was needed to pay for urgent medical treatment. Banks in Lebanon have restricted withdrawals to avoid a run ‘on the collapsed local currency. Owing toa spate of hold-ups by citizens desperate to get access to their accounts, many banks have closed branches, saying that they need to protect thet staf. about the treatment of religious minorities tunder Narendra Modis Hindu nationalist ‘government. The men, who were tied to a pole and flogged with canes in front of ‘a crowd chanting nationalist slogans, had allegedly objected to a folk dance being performed near a mosque, and pelted the Hindus with stones. Opposition polit have called forthe police officers involved to be suspended. 15 Ostber 2022 THE WEEK 8 NEWS Eric Idlo’s Boatlo friend Eric Idle made his name as ‘one of the Monty Python team, but he says that he isn’t “particularly close” to any of the troupe's surviving members. “Michae! [Palin] is always the first to write a sweet leter if he an elderly man through the city finds out you've been through of Lysychansk when he took a a few things, because he i vwrong turn. rocket exploded ‘genuinely kind like that,” he, beside him; bullets shredded told Simon Hattenstone in The the ear, and Young was hit in Guardian, “But Idon't think of the face. I thought, Tm dead. it ike we were mates. We were here.” he recalls; but somehow colleagues." He has had other he managed to yank the wheel famous friends, though — and drive out of the ambush notably George Harrison, The ‘The woman was screaming; Beatle was a Python fanjhe blood was pouring down his funded ther film Life of Brian, face (he lost the sight in one and he and Idle became close. eye); then he saw that the man ‘When Idle was diagnosed with he had gone there to save was pancreatic cancer three years dead on the seat behind him. ago, he says it was the memory Now he feels he must carry on. fis friend that helped him “I feel the need to continue to face his mortality." He always evacuate as many people as said to me:*Well,you can have possible, and to try to repay ‘as much money as you want, my debe to my dead passenger" you can be the most famous person in che world, but you're Sill going to have to die!” son himself died, 2001, “without panic, regret fr bitterness”, lle recalls. "It ‘was a great example. think George was the most influential person E've met i life. And certainly in death.” when Russia invadeds he'd developed a great respect for the Ukrainian people, and wanted to help. But now he is motivated by something else too. A few months ago, Young, 55, was driving a woman and A.weiter on the Katherine Rundells children's book, Rooftoppers, is about a group of orphans who ive on the rooftops of Paris And the author and Oxford academic is something of a roottopper herself says John Gapper in the FT She recently scaled the 385fe Centre Poin rower in London, and she has her eye on ‘other buildings too. “I've never been caught, but Ihave friends who have, and people are by and large generous,” she says Of course, “the work is not cven: being white and female hep enormously. Bu the frcshness of seeing the city from a compleely diferent ‘vancage points areal delight” ‘Ahero from Birkenhoad Since February, Dave Young hhas evacuated more than 500 civilians from battle zones in Ukraine, says Anthony Loyd in The Times. Each day, the amp-maker, originally from Birkenhead, drives into the tecth ofthe conilic with alist (of people to rescue. He'd been living in Kyiv for 16 years Castaway of the week This week's adition of Radio 4's Desert Island Discs featured Kevin Sinfield, rugby player 4 Jerusalem by Alweyn Humphroys, William Blake and Hubert Parry, performed by the Honloy Male Voice Choir & the Band, Of HM Royal Marines 2 Come on Eileen by Kevin Rowland, Jim Paterson end Billy ‘Adams, performed by Dexye Midnight Runners 3. Someone Like You, written and performed by Van Morrison ‘4 7 Days by Graig David, Mark ill and Darren Mil, porformod by Craig Davie 5 IThinkWe'e Alone Nowrby Ritchie Cordell performed by Tifeny Baker Sect by Gerry Ratfeny, performed by Undercover 17+ Last Request by Paolo Nutini Jim Duguid, Maty Benbrook, Performed by Paolo Nutini 8 FixYouby Chris Martin, Jonny Buckland, Guy Borryman and Will Champion, performed by Coldplay Book: Tho Edge: The Guide to Fuliling Dreams, Maximising Success “and Enjoying a Lifetime of Achievement by Howard E, Ferguson Luxury: 9 self propelled teadmill Chie THE WEEK 15 October 2022 People Glenda Jackson lives in @ dark, two-room basement fat in Blackheath, south London. Her living room contains a small dining table, packed bookshelves, a TV and a battered sofa. The back door leads to knickers on a washing line, and a neat garden the 86-year ‘ld shares with her son, the journalist Dan Hodges. I's surprisingly spartan home for one of Britains greatest actresses, says Janice ‘Turner in Tho Times a woman who has won two Oscars, and served as a government minister to boot. Is she not drawn to tho trappings of success? “What are they?” she asks, dourly. Jewellry, nice cars, holidays? “Oh, no.” She is not interested in clothes; she dide’t even turn up to collect her Oscars (she gave the statuetes ‘to her mother to use as bookends). Was there nothing she enjoyed about success? “The work,” she replies. "The opportunites, doing serious ett. Ive a wildly overcrowded profession, eo ifs great when people offer you stuff that worth doing,” Even in her heyday, she \Wwas known for never socialising with the castor crow for leaving \when rehearsals ended. “One ofthe things that always iritates me is people always talk about, ‘Oh, its the fist night’ Every performance is the first night. You've never seen that audience before. They haven't seen you in this play before.” Acting, she says, ienota game, “Tm not at all austere, but | take it eetiously.”, Viewpoint: Farewell A surfeit of news “Lin Truss doesn’ wane wo be PM so | faetbntatauniverst much as a new Boudica. Asif to prove the point, her hair is now transformed, via a bucket load of Maggie Tstyle hairspray into a helmet. She wants revolution, not evolution, and the result is non-stop revolts, U-turns, warnings and sniping. Stop the madness, There's too much drama, too much trauma, Indeed, it feels there has been too rouch news since we woke up and discovered that we'd voted for Brent. think | speak for the nation when I say: dial it down, please. Can we just embrace the dull and quietly competent for a while? Forget Boudica. Ler have a Barbara who emits a steady thrum of boring workaday proficiency.” Ann Treneman in The Times ‘Stalag Lot cad 18 ‘Soptomber, agod 102, [Angola Lansbury 3ta92 and scroon actress, died ‘October, aged 8, Eamonn MeCabe, sports photojournalist, died 2October aged 74 Pit Read, motorcyclo world champion, ded October aged 83 [Richard Thompson, venture capitalist died 2Ociober aged 74 ‘Madame Wa, legendary restaurateur, died 18 September, aged 106 a Briefing NEWS 11 Nuclear blackmail Is President Putin likely to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine? And what would happen if be did? What threats has Putin made? ‘Many: he has been making nuclear threats over Ukeaine since the 2014 invasion that led to the annexation of ‘Crimea. Back then, he reminded the world thar “Irs best nor to mess with tus", adding “Russia is one of the leading nuclear powers,” When he lauriched his * special military operation” in February, he reiterated these warnings, and he upped the ante in a televised address on 21 September, in which he spoke of using “all available means” to protect Russia’ territory. “This is not a bluff,” he said, Then on 30 September, he announced thar Russia was annexing four southeastern Ukrainian regions, and that it would use “all the powers and all he means” at its disposal to defend these He also claimed thatthe US had “set a precedent” when it dropped atomic bombs on Japan in 1945. Why are people taking the new threats seriously? In theory, Russia's official nuclear doctrine allows for a nuclear attack only “when the very existence of the state is threatened”. In the past that was interpreted to mean a nuclear attack of, say, «a conventional offensive that threatened Moscow. Putin, however, ‘seems to have lowered the threshold to cover any loss of territory, and to have put parts of Ukraine under this nuclear umbrella. His ‘army appears unable, though, to hold this territory against the ‘Ukrainians, and its chaotic attempts at mass mobilisation seem. unlikely o change thar. If Pucin feels that his invasion of Ukraine is likey to fail entice, and that asa result his regime's survival is threatened, he may be more likely to reach for extreme solutions. What kind of nuclear attack are we talking about? Military planners have discussed several scenarios, ranging from ‘a mete “demonstration strike" over the Black Sea or against a largely symbolic target chere such as Snake Island, to a * decapitation strike” against Ukraine's leadership in Kyiv; from a limited nuclear assault on Ukrainian military targets to the worst- case scenario ~ the destruction of a Ukrainian city, designed to cause mas evilian casualties and bring about a swift surrender, as at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. However, atin marks the Ukrainian armesations lst month need to use multiple tactical nuclear ‘weapons in Ukraine to achieve his desired operational eect,” reports the Insitute for the Study of War, respected think ank. And that would reed to outweigh the “potentially very high costs of possible Nato retaliation”. What sort of retaliation is likely? The US hasn't publicly specified, but Jake Sullivan, President Biden’s national security adviser, spoke on 25 September tf “catastrophic consequences” for Russia, and made it clear that the White House has spelled them out to the Kremlin. A retaliatory nuclear strike isn’ likely but the US has plenty of ther options, including vast, crippling cyberattacks. The former CIA director General David Petraeus said that the US and its allies could take out every Russian conventional force that they can see and identify on the battlefield in Ukraine, and also in ‘Crimea and every ship in the Black Sea. Ie could also enforce a ‘one over the country. The likely resale would be terminal leas, damage to Rosta’s war eff. The Ukrainians have ben too, about ther response: they would carry on fighting But how would Russia respond to the retaliation? This isthe trly terrifying par. If Putin were prepared to use nuclear weapons against a Ukrainian advanee, then presumably hhe might also do so against a Nato assault. So there’ a clear possiblity that che Third World War could result. In 2017, Princeton University’s Program on Science 8 Global Secuity ran 4 simulation, which found that a limited tactical nuclear exchange between Russia and Nato would escalate tothe point where Russia and Nato would target the 30 bigest cities ofthe other side, using five to ten nuclear warheads er city. Ie posted that ‘moe than 90 million people would die within the fst few hours 12019, the US Defence Threat Reduction Agency ran war games on how the US should respond if Russia were to invade Ukraine and use a nuclear weapon. The results are elasified, but one participant reported: There were no happy outcomes” How likely is any of this? Tactical vs. strategic weapons most likely is the usc of “tactical”, or ‘There's no universally agreed definition of a tactical bated clear weapons (se Box), nucle weapon, but they typically have yen the ‘which havea mach sulle explosie” tens of otoneorlees. & loton moans the explosive Yield than the ciy-fatening warheads eneray ofa thousand tons OFT. Fat Man, dropped on Weed inssuategc=wecapone Ress Nagata in 1948, hd yl of around 20 lotone. By Herre ee disco ater contrast todays strategic nicear weapons have yields has more of these chan any ether nthe hunreds and sometimes thousends of histone Tender R; Kady % key Pt Although tactical weapons are considerably less Kader Ramzan Kadyrox = ky Pain powerful they canbe powerful enough to destoy ally called for the use of“low-yild __"YSqpall ety and to erator, wth a yak of ano ‘nuclear weapons” in Ukraine. tioton or ess would stil bea hundred times as powerul as any conventional bomb the US air oreo has ever dropped Russia has about 2000 tactical nuclear weapons, weapon wonldqwp the Ulesinimn (Wbe Peat eee eter egg el ete idvance and signal the Russian missle systems. (The US hs about 100 tactical leadership's rewolve,so aso scare “Gravy bombs" stored in various Neto beses) But Kivandthe international gonamanity the¥ ave never been used in combat, for good razon. Toe a ee cen” The raaition imposes heay rata on your own oops ino acceding to Putin's land-gab, i thio accidental scalaton i high dames HEeeaiyees | __-Mati, the former US defence secretary, summed up 1y of that would work. In practical ‘the thinking in 2018: “I do not think there is any such terms, the Ukrainians present fe ‘hing 288 tacts! nusear weapon’ Ary nusear targets thee teoops and tanks are weapon used any tin ea sate garechang highly dispersed. “Putin would likely ‘most Western analysts think thatthe [At present, we seem to be some distance from the brink. If the Russian military were to take a tactical weapon out of storage, US intelligence would likely spot it, and global publicity and intense diplomatic activity would follow. Russia's last major alles, China and India, would be deeply opposed to nuclear war. Putin would also have to ‘convince the Russian General Staff to execute his order, which isn a given, Overall, the US and its alles are doing everything they can to convince Patin of the sky-high potential costs and the limited potential benefits Going nuclear would seem, the military historian Lawrence Freedman purit,“a very odd thing to do”. On the other hand, as Fiona Hill a leading Russia expert, recently mused: “Every time you think,'No, hhe wouldn't, would he, the answer seems to be:" Wall, yes, he would.” How effective would that be? “The idea is that tactical nuclear 15 Ostber 2022 THE WEEK ack nanny up when she does the right thing Marry Wallop The Surrogacy laws should not be changed lightly Sonia Sodha ‘The Observer Why being a woman is now unfashionable Camilla Long ‘The Sunday Times Sadly, Britain has failed the stress test John Burn-Murdoch Financial Times Best articles: Britain {Tm no fan of the nanny state says Harry Wallop. So why do Lake issue with Jacob Rees-Moga mocking new ant-unk food rules and crying “Freedom for Chocolate Oranges”? Its partly ‘because [don't think the Business Secretary should be undermining _measures enacted by his own team. More importantly, i's because preventing shops from aggressively promoting junk food (by placing such products near the tills or in the traditional end-of- aisle bargain spots) is a thoroughly sensible ploy. Its not about bbossing consumers arounds is about encouraging companies to dlo the right thing. Such pressure has prompted manufacturers 0 ‘weak their recipes to make them less unhealthy. Breakfast cereals ‘cut 57% of their salt content betwreen 2004 and 2011; George ‘Osbome’s sugar tax led the likes of Coca-Cola to slash the sugar content ofits Rzay drinks, One study found that consumers are ‘consuming 12.5g per person per week less sugar than before the sugar tax. Ata time when the NHS's annual obesity bill sill rans to more than £6.1bn, the las thing any minister should be doing is hinting that the Government might U-turn on junk food measures. Its banned across most of Europe and, following revelations about the exploitarion of the women involved, commercial surrogacy is now banned in India (until recently a major supplier of surrogate ‘mothers). But itis widely available on a commercial basis in the US, where women get paid up to $60,000 per pregnancy (health insurance included), and where, as a result, there have been ‘numerous lawsuits over parental rights. Here in the UK, where it’ permitted on a non-commercial basis, the Law Commission is now proposing the rules be relaxed to encourage the practice. thas no mandate to do so, says Sonia Sodha. Yes, in many cases surrogacy works out wel forall - yet in countless others it doesn't, ‘and for the obvious reason that its a practice fraught with moral hazard. Surrogate mothers traumatised at having to surtender the childs parents sometimes rejecting babies born with disabiltess the health risks associated with carrying an embryo that isn't ‘yours; the list oes on, The Law Commission is treating it as just ‘another form of assisted conception, like IVE Thae’ plain w0 ‘The defining image of this year’s fashion shows in Paris, says Camilla Long, was a *rapaciously thin, tapeworm-like man/ woman” trudging angrily along a muddy ditch for Balenciaga . Ie was yet further proof that “fashion is back in the hands of men ‘who hate women”. Not long ago, the catwalks were filled with “proud” large women; now you just see hollow-cheeked wails parading in a varity of unwearable, hideous outfits. That’ if female models are there at all. Many have been booted off the catwalks by the “grim male overlords” of the industry in favour (of trans models or “anorexic men, posing in chainmail rps and necklaces”, British Vogue's first male editor, Edward Enninguly is proudly progressive when it comes to race, rather less so when iccomes to women. Since taking over the magazine, he has increased the coverage of men and men’s fashion ~ its latest cover features the androgynous Timothée Chalamet. Fashion used to be a profession that celebrated women, and offered ‘many of them lucrative career opportunities. If now seems 10 be slowly editing them out of existence. “The pandemic was “the ultimate stress res for a nation’s basic functioning”, says John Burn-Murdoch. And on that score the UK has not fared well. We're the only country in the developed world ‘where people have heen dropping out of the workforce in ever ‘greater numbers beyond the acute phase of the pandemic. Other nations bounced back; we did not. Had we, like them, reverted t0 pre-pandemic trends, we'd have half--million more workers in the labour force today. And this, as survey data indicates largely ‘down to our “crumbling healthcare system”. In the past two years, the number of working-age Britons unable to work due to ‘chronic pain has risen by almost 200,000 above its previous trend line. Almost 40% of the rise in economic inactivity isthe result of ‘ever more of us dropping out of work for mental health reasons: the number of working-age people reporting multiple serious health conditions, falling before Covid, has shot up by 735,000 in wo years. These figures should be a "wake-up call” for the Government. We need action now to get the state back on track. NEWS 13 Ca as Lue ‘A restaurant for doge has ‘opened in a fashionable ‘oighbourhood of San Francisco. Dogue offers a 575 tasting menu on Sundays ‘hat includes dishes such as filet mignon topped with ‘ual eggs. At other times, [Booches can drop in for meat filled pastries and $495 "dogguecinos". Its the brainchild of chet Rahn’ ‘Massarweh, who says he just wants to give dogs ‘900d, heathy food. But erties Suggested the concept was it distasteful in the current Socioeconomic climate, “As if the rest ofthe country didn't hhate us enough already,” lamented one lea! Social media user i China Ihave been tickled by images of hundreds of elderly people exaeing along the ground in long “crocodiles™. The exercise fd took off in Jiangsu province a year ago, and now 1,000 people are Said 10 have joined the crating group. They dress in tenforms, and raul around ‘josie track, claiming it eases back and joint par. “The crash-detection system ‘on Apple's new iPhone is designed to detect f the ‘ower has beon in a car crash, and alert emergency services. But it tums out it ‘can be triggered by more benign activites. Since its launch in the US last month, 911 operators have had a spate of calls telling them that “the ower ofthis phone crash” and were directed to local amusement parks, When. police arrived, they found no rash, just lots of people on ‘roller coastor The sensors are probably being set off by ‘te rapid accelerations and docelerations, Othor false positives have been caused by people bowling 15 Ostber 2022 THE WEEK 14 Dragged to hell by online fundraising Tim Miter The New York Times ws Best of the American columnists At the start of che millennium, election candidates discovered a great new way of raising money, says ‘Tim Mille: through “the internet”. John McCain was one ofthe fist to exploit itn his 2000 White House run. But it was Barack Obama who really cracked the model: he upended Hillary Clinton in 2008 with the help of mass online donations. Behold the power of small

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