This post has been unavoidably (and most enjoyably!) delayed by the arrival in the post of the latest Mick Herron book, ‘The Secret Hours’.

1. From Spiegel International, a piece about the Kakhovka Reservoir in Ukraine that was blown up in June, A Trip to the Dried-Up Kakhovka Reservoir https://www.spiegel.de/international/world/russia-s-scorched-earth-policy-in-ukraine-a-trip-to-the-dried-up-kakhovka-reservoir-a-992aef1d-f4a7-4fbf-84a2-74c5d93b6566

2. Obscenely conspicuous consumption, at over £600 a person for dinner (without much wine)? Probably, but I hope it’s nonetheless interesting to hear from someone who ate recently at Noma, Nadine and René Redzepi’s ‘legendary’ Copenhagen restaurant. Who Deserves to Eat at Noma? from Taste https://tastecooking.com/who-deserves-to-eat-at-noma/

3. ICAI (the UK’s Independent Commission for Aid Impact) have just published a report covering the last four years, a very challenging period for UK (and other countries’) aid programmes, UK aid under pressure: a synthesis of ICAI findings from 2019 to 2023. They aim “to provide an overview of the state of UK aid” and suggest “some key measures that could be taken in the coming years to restore the quality and reputation of UK aid”. https://icai.independent.gov.uk/review/uk-aid-under-pressure-synthesis-2019-2023/ PDF of full report below, summary here:

The 2019-2023 period has been a challenging one for UK aid. There were emergency responses to a series of global crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan and the Ukraine war. In September 2020, the Department for International Development (DFID) and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) were merged to create a single department, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). There have been frequent changes of ministerial and government priorities, and a series of budget reductions which had a significant impact on the aid programme.

4. An informative short film from The UK National Archives about the Partition of British India https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yb_gq-wZDig

Lots more to browse in the National Archives YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@TheNationalArchivesUK

5. And, finally and probably for font nerds only, 8 micro tips for remarkably better typography from Medium https://uxdesign.cc/8-micro-tips-for-remarkably-better-typography-986c8c4f6d85

More from Medium here https://medium.com/