Sadly, Macbeth turned out to be more of a miss than a hit. Livermore replaced the original Scottish setting of Verdi’s opera and Shakespeare’s play with a modern urban gangster war. The idea is far from original. Theater directors have toyed with it for at least forty years, not only with Macbeth but with other operas featuring political power tainted by betrayal and a hint of sexuality.

The Prime Minister’s announcement offered some promise of relief, but the reality remains that a great number of people, those over the age of fifty, are still held hostage to the government’s COVID mandates.

The Turkish-born leader of Sweden’s new pro-Islamic party has expressed support for radical Muslims who, after making the pilgrimage to Syria to live under the Islamic State caliphate, have now returned to Sweden.

Russia has sensed opportunity, and will not let go easily now. The noose it has placed on Ukraine’s neck, which has been tightened as a result of Western actions, has now made it very difficult for that country to free itself.